Anyone But Her
by Onlycaptainswan99
Summary: Olivia's teenage daughter has been shutting everyone out, and when Kat ends up injured, Olivia is determined to help her daughter. No matter what, but the problem isn't something, it's someone, and that someone is dangerous. Can Olivia save her daughter before it's too late? First fanfic, please give it a shot!
1. Chapter 1

Detective Olivia Benson looked over to her sixteen year old daughter and sighed. Her daughter had her head rested against the car window and her eyes closed, like she always did on her way to school. Liv usually couldn't tell if her daughter was truly asleep or not, but today she could. The look of worry on that young face gave it all away.

"Kat, honey, are you okay?" Olivia asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

Kat's eyes shot open.

"Yeah, mom. I'm fine. You don't have to worry all the time, you know, I'm just tired." Kat answered, giving her mother the most convincing smile she could muster.

Olivia dropped the subject as she saw the exhaustion in her daughter's big, dark brown eyes that resembled hers to a T, but she knew that they would have to talk about it soon.

As Olivia pulled the car up to the drop-off zone at Kat's school, she heard her daughter sigh to herself as she pulled the hood of her zip-up hoodie over her head and placed an earbud in her right ear.

"Bye Mom, I love you. See you tonight." Kat before opening the door and placing the other earbud in her left ear, grabbing her backpack and getting out of the car. Before her mother could respond, Kat shut the car door, slung her backpack over her shoulder and shoved her hands into her sweatshirt pockets as she slowly walked into school, avoiding all of the other students that were all around her. Kat also paid no attention to the fact that her mother's car was still sitting by the curb because the detective was watching her enter school.

Olivia drove to the station that morning with tears in her eyes. She couldn't bear the fact that her daughter was so sad for reasons that the detective was completely oblivious to. Liv knew that she was going to have to get to the bottom of whatever was causing her daughter so much pain. Was it because Olivia was working so much? Was Kat having problems at school? Or was it something beyond that, something more serious?

Liv walked into the squad room and into her office with her head down so nobody could see the tears in her eyes, which were dangerously close to spilling over. She could feel the eyes of Nick, Fin, and Amanda following her, but she refused to show them her face. Once she got settled in her office, she sat down at her desk and put her head in her hands. She sat like that for what seemed like an hour, but when Liv looked at the clock, she saw that it had really only been five minutes. Olivia wasn't used to her daughter hiding things from her, they used to be so close, but as Katherine got older, she started to build walls around herself, not letting anybody in. Not even Mackenzie, her best friend, and Detective Rollins's fifteen year old daughter. Just as Olivia had composed herself, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Olivia called with a thick voice, hoping the person at the door wouldn't notice.

Olivia knew she could relax a little as her best friend and colleague Detective Amanda Rollins walked in holding a folder that Liv figured was the case of Ashley Granger, their latest victim.

" Hey Amanda, what's up?" Liv asked with a smile as Amanda turned towards her after closing the door.

"Hey Liv. I just wanted to tell you that Ashley Granger left the hospital this morning and her mother said that they would come by around ten this morning to talk more about the assault." Amanda said. A professional look on her face, but a concerned look in her icey blue eyes, which she shared with her daughter. " Is everything okay? You seem a little off and Mack said that Kat seemed more distant then usual."

Olivia motioned to the seat in front of her desk as a way of telling the blonde to sit down.

"I'm worried about her Amanda, something is obviosly wrong, but I don't know what it is. She keeps shutting me out. Last night I asked her to talk to me about it, but she just said that she didn't want to stress me out with her problems because I have enough going on at work."

"And you're surprised by that?" Amanda asked, completely serious. Olivia just looked at her with a confused look. "Liv, you raised a smart, strong, beautiful girl who just happens to be exactly like you. She shuts people out just like you do. She is the type of person who doesn't want to burden other people with her problems, so instead she keeps them all in until they resolve themselves or until friends force her to confide in them." Olivia just stared at her friend, everything she had just said made so much sense, but Olivia didn't want to believe that her daughter felt like she would be burdening her mother by talking about her problems.

Olivia let out a sigh before answering.

"I guess I'll just have to wait until she comes to me. It'll happen eventually."

"Alright, well, I've got to get back to work. Liv, it'll be fine. If Mackenzie mentions Kat saying anything to her, I'll let you know." Amanda reassured, getting up from where she sat and walking over to place a comforting hand on Olivia's shoulder.

"Thanks, Amanda. You really helped." Olivia said with a sad, but sure smile.

"Any time, _Captain_." The detective said, putting extra emphasis on the word 'Captain', causing her Southern accent to be more prominent. Olivia laughed to herself at the way her best friend teased her relentlessly about her being the boss.

The day went by slowly as the squad worked to solve the case of Ashley Granger, they didn't get any leads, and the Granger family was starting to lose hope. The rape had completely destroyed Ashley, and Olivia and Amanda had wondered how Ashley's mother was able to be so strong with all of this. They both agreed that if anything like this happened to their daughters and it caused their girls as much pain as Ashley was feeling, neither of them would sleep until they put the sorry bastard in jail. Just as they were finishing their conversation, Olivia and Amanda heard the noise of wheels coming down the hallway.

"Well speak of the devil." Amanda said with a somewhat proud smile on her face as a blonde teenage girl came in on a skateboard.

"Mackenzie Rollins, how many times have I told you? You do not ride that thing in this building. Or any building for that matter!" The rest of the squad couldn't help but laugh at the sterness in Amanda's voice as the teenage girl stopped her skateboard right next to where her mother said at her desk. The Girl wore multiple bracelets on one wrist and a red bandana on the other. She had headphones hung around her neck. Her dark jeans were ripped on the knees and she wore a tank top under her black leather jacket.

"Sorry mom, but just be glad that I'm not a druggie like the rest of the kids at my school." Mackenzie said with an innocent smile on her face.

" That is the lamest compromise I have ever heard." Amanda answered in an exasperated tone.

Amanda's ice blue eyes looked over to the entrance of the squad and nodded over in the same direction to Olivia as Kat walked in with her head down and her hands shoved in her pockets.

"Hey Kat." Nick greeted first, causing the young girl to stop. Refusing to look at the Detectives, especially her mother.

"Uh, hey Amaro." The brunette said her hands now fiddling with the medallion that hung around her neck. She was wearing black jeans and a light blue hoodie with a black leather jacket over it. She was still looking at the black Converse that she wore on her feet.

"Hey, Kat. Why don't you tell everybody what happened at school today." Mackenzie jumped in.

"Yeah, Ace. Lets hear it." Fin came up behind Kat and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to walk over to the coffee machine in order to avoid contact. Which worried Olivia even more. Especially since Kat didn't smile at the nickname that Fin had been calling her sinc she was twelve when she made the archery team at school.

"Katherine, tell us what happened." Olivia said with a nervous smile on her face.

"I'd rather not, It's no big deal." Kat answered. She still hadn't made eye contact with any of the Detectives. Olivia looked over to Amanda who had her hand on Mackenzie's shoulder with a worried look on her face. Amanda had cared for Kat like she was her own since the day they met, and Olivia felt the same way towards Mack. The girls had taken to calling the Detectives by the names of 'Aunt Liv' or 'Aunt Amanda'.

Mackenzie spoke up, ending the silence. "She decked a senior and it was awesome!" Mackenzie had said this like it was the coolest thing on the planet, but Olivia wasn't as impressed.

"Katherine Alexandra Benson, is that true?!" Olivia asked, trying to keep her temper under control." Why didn't the school call me?!"

"Because he hit her first and he knew that if he reported it he would be the one that got suspended." Mackenzie answered, which earned her a furious look from Kat.

"Mack! What the hell? I told you not to say anything!" Katherine said, in doing so, she looked up. Exposing a black eye and a small cut on her cheek.

Olivia rushed over to her daughter and pulled the hood of Kat's sweatshirt down so she could get a better look at the damage. The rest of the detectives were staring, they all had worried looks on their faces. Except for Nick; he just looked pissed.

"I'm glad she did say something. Kat, honey. Why did this happen?" Olivia tried to brush a strand of dark brown hair out of Kat's face, but she just swiped her mother's hand away, pushed past her, and headed up towards the cribs.

"It doesn't matter, its' over. Thanks a lot Mack." Kat said as she stormed up the stairs. Olivia didn't know what had gotten into her daughter. Earlier, she had decided to just let her daughter work out her problems and wait until Kat came to her, but now it was different. Somebody had hurt her baby, and Olivia was determined to find out who it was and why all of this happened.

Once Kat was in the cribs, she laid down on one of the beds and just stared at the ceiling, cursing the tears that spilled over her cheeks. Why did he hit her? Last time this happened he had begged for her forgiveness and promised he would never do it again.

The sound of a door opening and closing snapped Kat out of her thoughts. She felt the bed dip as her mother sat down on the edge of it. Olivia noticed the tears on her daughter's face and wiped them away gently.

Olivia started crying when she saw the pain in the brown eyes looking back at her. Kat noticed and grabbed her mother's hand. Giving it a firm squeeze.

"Alright mom, but can we just go home and talk their?" Kat asked, almost pleading. She didn't want to have this conversation here.

"Absolutely, just let me get my things." Olivia replied. And with that, Liv got up, kissed her daughter on the forehead, and left the room. After she was gone, Kat composed herself and followed her mother back through the squad room, out the precinct building, and into the car. She was not looking forward to having this conversation, but Kat knew that if she didn't, if this happened again, she could end up in the hospital...or worse.

**Okay, well that's chapter one. I will try to update every day or two. I don't know how I feel about this one. It's my first fanfic and I hoped you guys liked it. Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So this is Chapter 2. Thank you for the feedback! Hopefully this chapter will be a little better than chapter 1. I own nothing! This all belongs to Dick Wolf and NBC!**

Once Olivia and Kat made it into the apartment, they both went and changed out of their clothes from the day. Olivia put on gray sweatpants and a somewhat loose-fitting black V-neck t-shirt. Kat came out of her room in the same thing, except she had a light blue shirt on instead of a black one.

After Kat walked out of her room, Olivia motioned for her daughter to sit on the couch next to her. Kat slowly made her way across the room to the couch and sat down on the complete opposite end of the couch as Liv. Olivia couldn't help but grimace when Kat finally made eye contact, exposing her black eye.

"Kat, sweetheart, you need to tell me who did this. Mackenzie said _he_ hit you first. A man did this?" Liv asked, reaching for her daughter's hand. Once she grabbed it, Liv gave her hand a tight squeeze. The gesture was mainly to comfort the distraught teen, but Olivia also did it to try and comfort herself as well.

"He isn't my boyfriend. Well, not anymore. That's why he hit me." Kat answered, looking down at her finger, which were entwined with her mother's. Kat always found comfort in her mother's touch. The way that Olivia could be so compassionate and comforting, yet so strong dumfounded Kat. She hoped that one day she could be the same way.

"How many times has this happened?" Olivia had used her free hand to move Kat's chin up so they were making eye contact.

"Four or five... " Kat answered, Olivia just kept looking into those identical brown eyes, silently urging Kat to continue.

"The first time it happened was because I didn't want to go out with him and his idiot friends, then it was because I was talking about college with Mack and once we were alone, he told me that I wasn't going anywhere without his permission. when I started to protest, he backhanded me." Tears started to fall from Kat's eyes and a silent sob escaped her mouth. When Kat looked back over to Olivia, she saw that the older brunette was also crying. After taking a deep breath, Kat continued. "Then it was just for nothing at all, he would just pull me off to a closet or an empty room and start hitting me. _God, _I'm so stupid! Out of all of the guys at my school I get caught up with the one who just likes me because I make a good punching bag." Kat was full on sobbing now. Tears streaming down her face. Olivia moved to her daughter and pulled her into a tight hug. Not letting go as she started to speak.

"No baby, you're not stupid. This happens to women every day. You just happened to pick the short straw on this one." Olivia pulled away from the teen, wiping the tears from her face with her thumbs, careful not to put too much pressure as she passed over the bruise. "But I need you to tell me his name, he broke the law, I need to arrest him."

"Jason Larkin." Kat said between sobs. She covered her mouth as they became not as silent.

Olivia pulled her daughter back into a hug and let her body fall back into the couch. She just held her crying daughter for forty-five minutes before the crying stopped. Olivia realized that Kat had fallen asleep in her arms. When Liv tried to get up without disturbing her daughter, Kat's grip on her arms tightened, so the detective just rested her chin on Kat's head and closed her eyes.

"Just sleep baby girl, you're safe. He can't hurt you anymore. I promise." And with that, Olivia fell asleep as one tear made its way down her cheek.

Olivia woke with a start, the lack of her daughter's presence not going unnoticed.

"Kat?" Olivia asked to the seemingly empty apartment.

"I'm right here. " Kat answered, coming from her room with her backpack over her shoulder and a novel in her hand. As usual. Kat always seemed to have a book with her. Courtesy of John Munch. Today Kat was dressed in dark skinny jeans, and gray V-neck shirt, her black Converse. She had her hair up and had covered up her black eye with makeup. Olivia figured she had had plenty of practice covering up bruises that this prick caused, cause her blood to boil.

Olivia got up and walked over to her the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee, which Kat makes every morning. It took a while for Liv to become comfortable with the fact that Kat drank coffee, but who was she to judge? All of the detectives practically lived on the stuff.

"Good morning." Olivia said as she kissed the top of Kat's forehead.

"Morning." Kat said with an awkward smile before taking a drink of her own coffee. Just as Liv was about to say something, Kat's phone buzzed. The teen walked over to the counter where her phone sat. She took a look at the screen and frowned. The screen read '_New Text Message From : Jason'. _Olivia walked up behind her daughter as Kat opened the text. Normally, Kat would give her mother an exasperated look, but not now. Olivia's presence was welcomed by the teen. Both women looked down at the text that Jason had sent.

_'Babe, c'mon. Don't do this. I didn't mean to hit you. I just lost my temper. I promise it won't happen again.'_

Just as Kat was about to text back to tell Jason to go screw himself, her screen changed.' _Incoming Call From Jason'._ Kat placed her finger over her lips as to tell her mother to stay quiet as she answered the call and put it on speaker. She also hit record.

"What do you want, Jason?" Kat answered with a hostile tone. Olivia had never heard her daughter use that tone before.

"Why are you ignoring me?" Jason asked, his voice pleading, yet somewhat angry.

"Because I'm done with you. You can't treat me like your own personal punching bag and expect me to come crawling back!"

"Oh please, you deserved it."

Olivia clenched her hand into fists and had to bite her tongue so she didn't start screaming at the bastard on the phone.

"I did _not_ deserve it. I didn't do anything! Even if I had done something I still didn't deserve getting hit. If anyone deserved to be hit it was you, and you got what you deserved."

"You just stood there while your little blonde bitch of a friend disrespected me! You're lucky I didn't hit both of you."

" If you ever lay a hand on Mack or anybody that I care about, you will regret it. Stay away from me and stay away from my family."

Olivia's heart filled with pride as Kat defending Mackenzie. The detective couldn't get over how strong her daughter sounded. Liv smiled as she realized that Kat was acting just like she would herself.

" You mean that group of cops that you hold so dear? Please, whore. They don't love you. Why don't you just end it now before you get hurt even more. Trust me, you'd be doing _everyone_ a favor."

" They're _Detectives,_ asswipe. Get it right."

With that, Kat hung up the phone and slammed it down on the counter. A tear escaping her eyes as she leaned against Olivia. Liv didn't notice during the call, but Kat had been shaking the whole time, and now that she could see her daughter's face, she could see how scared she must have been.

"I am so proud of you. Don't listen to him. I love you, so does the squad." Olivia whispered into Kat's ear as her daughter pulled her into a tight hug.

" I know. I love you guys too." Kat answered with a sad smile.

"You're not going to school today. I'll call Amanda and tell her to keep Mack out too. You two can come to the precinct. I don't think it would be good for you to be there when he is arrested. Besides, you've been looking like you need a break from school."

" Okay. Sounds good."

Olivia and Kat walked into the precinct an hour late, but the rest of the detectives understood. As they entered the squad room Kat saw Mack sitting on the edge of Amanda's desk. Amanda was smiling while Mackenzie was talking enthusiastically. Nick and Fin would look up at the two blondes every few seconds and laugh.

"Nick, Fin. I need you two to go to the girls' school and pick up Jason Larkin." Olivia said as she and Kat were about to walk into the office. "And don't be afraid to make sure the cuffs are extra tight." She added with a wink as Mackenzie's eyes widened and she smiled. The two male detectives grabbed their jackets and walked out of the squad room.

"Damn, Aunt Liv. Mamma bear mode much?" Mackenzie asked, laughing. Amanda swatted her daughter's knee.

"Watch your language young lady!" Amanda said, only half serious.

"Yeah Mack, watch your language." Kat mocked as she poured herself a cup of coffee and walked over to the evidence board to look at the pictures.

"Oh please, Kat. It's not like you never swear. When our moms aren't around you use language that would make a sailor run home crying to mamma."

Of course, she had to say it just as Olivia was coming out of her office. Liv looked to Amanda and smirked. The two women were thinking the same thing. '_Like mother, like daughter.'_

"Hello, Earth to Kat!" Amanda said, getting up from her desk and walking over to Kat after waiting two minutes for her to answer a question

"Huh? What?" Kat asked with a jump as Amanda placed her hand on Kat's shoulder.

"I asked you how archery was coming. You alright, Sweetheart?" Amanda asked with the same look of concern that Liv had been wearing in her ice blue eyes. Liv was watching her daughter and best friend interact. Neither of them noticed. Mackenzie was busy looking through the book that Kat had placed on a chair with her bag. She had a confused look on her face. Mack was a very intelligent girl, just like her mother, but she rarely read. She spent most of her time at the skate park.

"Oh, sorry. Aunt Amanda. Yeah, I'm fine. I haven't really had time to shoot, but archery is going well." Kat only pulled her eyes away from the photos on the board for a second to give the blonde a not so convincing smile.

"You shouldn't be looking at those photos, Katherine." Olivia said from the file cabinets across the room. Last time Kat looked at the board, she had nightmares for a week.

"It's fine, mom. Do you guys think that this was a random attack?" Kat asked, looking at both of the detectives.

"Kat...-" Olivia started to tell her daughter not to pry, but she was cut off.

"It's going to be a long day of you don't let me ask questions." Kat said, a completely serious look on her face.

Olivia sighed. "Yes, we do think that it was completely random attack."

" I wouldn't be so sure." Kat answered. This caused Mackenzie to look up from Kat's book, which she had started reading, and Amanda and Liv to look at Kat with equally confused looks. Kat elaborated.

"I mean, it probably was random, but I don't think that he meant for the victim to get away." Kat pointed to the picture of the bruises that were left on Ashley Granger's neck and continued. "Generally if someone if holding someone by the neck just to subdue them, they wouldn't hold it hard enough to leave a bruise. And the perp knew what he was doing too. He had his hand directly under the chin". Kat paused to demonstrate on her own neck with her hand. "He was holding right where the hyoid bone is. He was trying to kill Ashley." She struggled with saying Ashley's name. Naming the victim made it too real. "I think that Ashley was just able to get away before he killed her."

"Kat, you are way too smart for your age." The voice had come from a man behind them. The four women tuned around to see Nick and Fin walking with a tall, muscular, dark haired teenage boy in handcuffs. Jason. Olivia noticed how her daughter and Mackenzie tensed as she saw the boy. Amanda noticed too and she moved towards her daughter as Liv moved closer to Kat. Olivia figured that Mackenzie told Amanda all about Jason the night before.

Fin told Jason to shut his mouth and he Nick pulled him towards the interrogation room. As Jason was being hauled off, he winked at Kat, causing both brunettes to shudder. Then, something happened that Olivia never would have expected; Jason looked at the evidence board and Liv swore she saw a look in his eyes... a look that she had seen in the eyes of so many rapists. A look of pride, pride over the crime that they had committed.

**And chapter 2 is done! Tell me what you think! Did y'all like the cliffhanger? I will try and upload chapter 3 tomorrow, it's finals week, so I'm crazy busy. Please Review! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**So here is chapter 3! Thank you all so much for the feedback, it means a lot! I own nothing! The characters in this story belong to Dick Wolf and NBC!**

Olivia entered the interrogation room where Nick and Jason were. Nick leaned against the one way mirror with his arms crossed over his chest. He was just staring at Jason with a fury in his eyes that Olivia had never seen before. Liv couldn't help but smile at how protective the male detective was over her daughter.

The sergeant slammed the door as hard as she could to snap the two men out of their staring match.

" So, Mr. Larkin. Do you just beat up girls who are two years older than you for sport, or is it more of a dominance play?" Olivia asked as she sat down across the table from Jason. It took all of her self-control not to lunge at him.

" Shut up, bitch. You don't know what you're talking about." Jason snapped back.

"Oh really? We don't? And it's _Sergeant _Bitch to you." Olivia didn't break eye contact as she pulled out photos of Ashley Granger's injuries.

"Why are you pulling out photos of an assault?" Jason asked, talking to the detectives like they were stupid. "I thought I was here because of your whore of a daughter."

Olivia tensed at the name that Jason called Kat. "_This kid must have a death wish_." She thought.

Nick jumped in, he knew that his partner was too busy trying not to kill the kid to interrogate him right now.

"We'll get to that later. What can you tell us about her?"Nick asked, pointing to the pictures as he approached the table. Jason eyed the pictures for a little too long, only adding to the suspicion against him.

"I don't know anything about her, dude. She's hot though. Not as hot as Kat, but hot." Jason said, his gaze moving to the female detective as he mentioned the teen that had been watching the whole interrogation unfold with Amanda.

Amanda looked over to Kat, who had been all too quite. She noticed that the young girl's hands were shaking. Whether out of rage or fear she didn't know, but she placed her hand on the teen's and squeezed it as she focused her attention back on the small room.

" Since you say that you don't know anything about the girl in the photos, let's talk about Katherine." Olivia said, finally calming down.

"Alright, what do you want to know?" Jason had an innocent smirk on his face.

Olivia got up from where she sat and started slowly walking around the small box of a room.

"How about why you decided to use my daughter as your personal punching bag. I think that's a good place to start. Don't you Detective?" Olivia said, looking up at Nick who nodded his head, not moving his eyes from the young man in front of him.

"What can I say? She likes it rough."

This sent Liv over the edge. She slammed her hands down on the table and got right in Jason's face. Their noses almost touching, the brunette could swear she saw fear in the boy's eyes.

"Stop lying, you and I both know that you hit her to gain control."

Jason scoffed at the woman's words.

"Oh please, I don't need to gain control. I could snap that bitch like a twig."

"Then maybe it's an insecurity thing. She's smarter than you, has a better future. Is that it?" Olivia asked, with a casual look on her face as she leaned back against the one way mirror, right next to where Kat was standing on the other side.

"Seriously?"

Olivia snapped her fingers as if she got an idea right then and there.

"I know what it is. You hit her because you don't have much _to be proud of_...if you know what I'm saying. By the look on your face I'd say you do."

Jason was fuming at Olivia's inquisition.

"If you know what's good for you, you'd stop talking." There was an anger in his voice that Olivia was sure was supposed to scare her. Too bad for him, it didn't.

"Why? You gonna assert your power over me like you did with Kat? You gonna hit me? Go ahead." The fire in Olivia's eyes was almost scary.

That's when Jason snapped.

"THAT BITCH DAUGHTER OF YOURS DESERVED EVERYTHING SHE GOT! I'M JUST SORRY I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO REALLY DO SOME DAMAGE!"

Once Jason had realized what he said his eyes went wide with fear and regret. Liv just smiled as she let the interrogation room.

Liv stood by the door and looked at her daughter. Kat had a shocked, yet happy look on her face as Nick handcuffed and recited Jason's Miranda Rights.

"You okay?" Liv asked as she walked over to Kat, placing her hand on Kat's shoulder.

"It's over." Was all Kat could say. She pulled her mother into a tight, grateful hug and ran back into the squad room to tell Mack about what had happened.

The older brunette couldn't stop the tears of relief as they flowed down her cheeks. Amanda placed her hand on Liv's shoulder, gave it a squeeze, and the two detectives walked back into the squad room to celebrate with their ecstatic daughters.

**Okay, so since this chapter was so short I'm going to write and upload chapter 4 tonight also. I don't know how I feel about this chapter. Tell me what you think! Thanks guys!**


	4. Chapter 4

**So I uploaded 2 chapters today because chapter 3 was so short. I'm sorry if it was disappointing. My mind has been elsewhere today. This chapter will be better, I promise. I jumped the time for this chapter just so I could make it a little more exciting. So, here we go.**

Two months had passed since Jason confessed to hitting Kat. Since it was only a misdemeanor and Jason didn't go to jail, Alex Cabot was able to get Judge Donlea to grant a restraining order against him. He now couldn't go within two hundred feet of Kat or Mackenzie. Jason was expelled since he hit Kat at school, so he was out of Kat's life for good. Kat was actually happy now, she had even started seeing someone. He had to earn the Sergeant Benson seal of approval, of course, but Olivia liked this kid. His name was Caleb. He was smart, funny, charming, and in Mackenzie and Kat's words; 'beyond gorgeous'. Olivia was just happy that her daughter was happy. It had been a while since she saw her daughter smile they way she did when she was around Caleb, or even _talked _about Caleb.

The Ashley Granger case had closed. It turns out that Kat was right, it wasn't random, and Ashley was not meant to walk away from the attack. It turns out that Jason hadn't done it, he was just so demented that he liked to look at pictures of battered women. The person who raped Ashley ended up being her ex-boyfriend from college. He had seen Ashley out with her friends that night and decided that he wasn't done with her.

/

An unusually happy Kat practically skipped into the precinct after the last day of school, holding and envelope up, and dropping it in front of where Mackenzie sat at Amanda's desk. Kat then walked over to the coffee machine, poured herself a cup and smirked at Mackenzie as she just stared at the young brunette.

"Are you on something?" Mack asked, laughing at how ridiculous her friend was being.

"Trust me, Mack. You'll be acting the same way once you open that envelope." Kat just looked at her best friend and motioned for her to open the envelope.

Once Mack saw what it was her eyes widened and high-pitched shriek escaped the teen's mouth, startling Amanda and Olivia as they walked into the squad room after interviewing a victim. Mack jumped up from where she sat and started giggling like maniac.

"I think your daughter is broken, Amanda." Olivia said chuckling as she released her daughter from a hug.

"Oh my god, Kat! How did you get these?" Mackenzie asked as Amanda tried to wrestle the tickets out of her daughter's hands to see what all of the commotion was about.

"One of Caleb's dad's clients gave them to him. Caleb knows how much we love the Neon Trees, so he gave me the tickets. Friday night, 7 o'clock. You and me, Madison Square Garden."

"Kat, it's official. I love your boyfriend." Mackenzie said, practically doing summersaults she was so happy.

"Mom, we don't have anything planned on Friday, do we?" Mack asked, turning towards Amanda and gave her mother her best '_you know much you love me?'_ look.

"No, Liv and I have to work on Friday, and with this case, I'm sure you guys will get home from the concert before we can even think about leaving here." Amanda answered, sighing.

"Yeah, this one is bad." Olivia agreed, grabbing the cup of coffee out of Kat's hands and taking a drink. Expecting Kat to fake a whine and complain about her coffee being stolen, Olivia raised her eyebrows at her daughter and saw that she was too busy texting Caleb with a goofy smile on her face. Liv looked over to Amanda who also noticed the lovestruck teen. Amanda just shook her head and laughed as Mack mocked Kat from behind.

"You know I can see your reflection in my phone screen, right Mack?" Kat said, somewhat irritated. Mack stopped, an embarrassed look on her face.

"That's what I thought. Alright, well I've gotta go. I'm meeting Caleb for coffee." Kat grabbed her things and started to walk out the door.

"Be home before nine please Katherine!" Olivia called after her daughter.

"Yeah Kat, make sure you're home before your head explodes from how much you love Caleb!" Mackenzie mocked, causing Kat to stop, turn around, and walk towards the three women in the squad room. Olivia and Amanda were trying to hold their laughter at the pissed off look on Kat's face and the smirk on Mack's. The two detectives couldn't help but see themselves in the two girls as they traded their witty remarks.

"Hey, Mack. Why don't you tell the story about how you were trying to impress Colby at the skate park with going down the vertical and you fell flat on your ass." Kat said with a look on her face that said '_you're not the only one who can embarrass people'._ Mack's face turned a bright shade of red and she just stood there with her mouth open, trying to find the words to defend herself. With that, Kat looked from Mack to the two female detectives who were laughing hysterically, turned on her heal, and walked out.

"Oh, and don't leave out the part where you started crying for, and I quote, '_mommy_'. " Kat called over her shoulder. Causing the two detectives to laugh even harder. Kat heard Amanda trying to control her laughter as she told Mack that it was sweet that she wanted her mom when she was hurt. Olivia just kept laughing, tears streaming down her face.

/

That Friday night, Kat got ready for the concert. She wore dark jeans, a white v-neck, her black leather jacket, and a purple beanie. Since her hair was now down past her shoulders, she had it curled slightly at the ends, and she had to admit; she looked pretty damn good. Kat was just texting Caleb to tell him that she would text him after she got home from the concert so he knew that she was safe, Mack came walking into the apartment. She never knocked anymore, much to Amanda's distain. Mack was wearing a blue tank-top and black ripped-up skinny jeans. Her blonde hair falling to her mid-back.

"You ready?" Mack asked impatiently.

"I was born ready." Kat answered as she grabbed her keys, slipped fifty bucks into her pocket, made sure she had the tickets. Her answer caused Mack to laugh.

The concert was amazing. Kat and Mack sang along to every song. Mack was terribly off key, but Kat was actually a very talented singer. Which only Mack, Liv, Amanda, Nick, and Fin knew. Most people knew that Kat played the guitar, she was very good at that as well, but nobody really thought that a girl as tough and darkly-sarcastic teen could sing the way she did.

After the concert, Kat walked Mack back to her apartment and hailed a taxi to get herself home. Normally she would have walked, but it was nearly eleven at night and Kat was beat. Once Kat made it home, she kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto the couch. She was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.

Kat was woken up by a knock at the door. She picked up her phone and remembered that she had forgotten to text Caleb that she was home, and it was one in the morning. Realizing that Olivia was not yet home to get the door, Kat sighed and lifted herself off the couch and slowly made her way to the door. The knocking had gotten louder, causing her to move faster.

"Calm down Caleb, I'm home-" Kat gasped as she opened the door to see Jason standing there. She tried to close the door, but he forced his way through, punching Kat in the face and shutting the door behind him.

"You never should have turned me in, now you're gonna get what you deserve." Jason said as he pulled duct tape out of his sweatshirt pocket and placing a strip of it over Kat's mouth. He punched her in the face again, causing her to fall to the ground. He started kicking her in the stomach until she stopped fighting. Once she was incapacitated with pain, Jason knelt down, lit a cigarette, and placed the lit end on Kat's wrist. Her screams were muffled by the tape, but not enough to hid the agony that she was in.

"Now we're gonna have some fun." Was the last thing Kat heard before Jason picked her head up and slammed it back down on the floor, causing the world to go black.

/

Olivia sighed as she looked at the paperwork on her desk. They had come so close to closing the case when their perp decided to take a little trip to Maine. It was a federal case now, and they had to hand it over to the FBI. Amanda looked up from her paperwork when her phone buzzed. She opened the text she got.

"Mackenzie is home. She said that Kat hailed a cab to go home, so you should hear from her soon." Amanda said. Olivia nodded and leaned back in her chair. Amanda texted Mackenzie back asking how long she had been home and placed her phone back on her desk.

"Does handing a case over to the feds ever get less aggravating?" The blonde asked the older detective.

"Nope." Liv answered as Amanda's phone buzzed again. Amanda looked at her phone with a confused expression.

"Are you sure that Kat didn't text you saying she was home?"

Liv shook her head, a confused look on her face.

"Why?"

"Mackenzie said that she made it home two hours ago."

Olivia's heart sped up at the thought of not knowing that her daughter was safe. Amanda noticed the worry flash in Liv's eyes.

"I'm sure she just fell asleep right away when she got home. She's probably fine. Maybe just call her." Amanda suggested, trying to be reassuring.

Liv picked up her phone and dialed Kat's number. It rang three times before someone answered.

"Sergeant Benson, I wasn't expecting to hear from you tonight." It wasn't Kat's voice on the phone, it was Jason's. Olivia could tell by how arrogant he sounded.

"Where is Kat?" Olivia asked, tears forming in her eyes, but anger prominent in her voice.

"Well right now we are making our way to Central Park. She's a little out of it though. With all of the blood loss."

Olivia put the phone on speaker and the three other detectives gathered around the phone. Mixtures of anger and fear shown on their faces.

"You son of a bitch, what did you do to my daughter!?"

"Why don't you come see for yourself. I'm leaving her in Central Park for you."

The detectives heard something stir in the background. Kat.

"Oh look, she's awake. Kat, do you want to talk to your dear family?"

"You...bastard." Kat's voice was weak and filled with pain.

"Oh, now sweetheart, what did I tell you about the nasty name calling? Hold on Sergeant, I just need to remind your daughter what happens when she disrespects me."

The detectives heard him place the phone down and move over to Kat. There was the sound of unzipping, it wasn't a pants zipper, it was more like a backpack. The noise was too long. They heard Kat whimper and Jason mumble something that they couldn't make out. Then Kat let out the most blood curdling scream. Olivia had to cover her mouth to keep a sob from escaping at the sound of her daughter's pain. Amanda had turned to Fin who was holding her as she sobbed silently. Nick was holding Olivia as she stared down in horror at the phone. The screaming had died down and they could hear the sound of Jason's fists and feet coming in contact with Kat's body. Every now and then they would hear a plea or a shriek coming from Kat. Then it stopped, the sound of shuffling was heard and Jason's voice came through the phone.

"So Sergeant, come find your daughter. I'll make it easy, she's in Central Park, we all know how much our little Katherine loves to go to the Ramble to relax. I suggest you hurry, those big brown eyes of hers are dangerously close to closing." Then the line went dead.

/

The detectives drove as fast as they could to Central Park. Liv and Amanda were the first ones out of the car. They took off running towards the Ramble. Once they got there, they pulled their guns on the off chance that Jason had stuck around. Nick and Fin went off to see if they could figure out which way Jason had gone. Amanda and Liv were searching the Ramble when they heard a whimper of pain and something moving in the bushes. Amanda shone her flashlight on a bush to discover Kat's nearly lifeless body. She was covered in burns, bruises, and cuts.

"Oh god." Olivia ran to her daughter's side. Careful not to move Kat too much, Olivia placed Kat's head on her lap. Amanda had called 911 and they could hear the sirens.

"I-is M-Mack safe...?" Kat turned to Amanda who just nodded as tears streamed down her face.

Kat smiled weakly with relief and her eyes started to close.

"Katherine. Kat, baby, you need to keep your eyes open for me. Please. Don't leave me." Olivia whispered as she tried to keep her daughter awake.

"Mommy, I'm so tired."

Olivia's heart broke at the name. Kat only called her 'mommy' when she was sick or scared.

"I know baby, but you need to stay awake. I wanna see those beautiful brown eyes of yours." Olivia pleaded.

The paramedics had arrived and Amanda had to pull Olivia away from Kat as they loaded her into the ambulance. The pain was too much and Kat slowly fell into unconsciousness, but not before she whispered 'I love you' so quietly that only Olivia and Amanda could hear as they climbed into the ambulance after her.

/

**Okay, so this one was a little bit longer. I would have written more detail into what Jason did to Kat, but I think I'm gonna save it for the next chapter. So tell me what you think! Thanks! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you all so much for the feedback! I was thinking about maybe trying to upload two chapters a day since school is almost over in a couple days and I won't have anything else to do. Please keep reviewing and enjoy Chapter 5, chapter 6 might also happen tonight. I'm not sure.**

**/**

Olivia paced in the waiting room as she waited for the news on Kat. She had been in surgery for 2 hours already, but to Olivia it felt like a lifetime. Cragen and Munch had gotten the news and they had insisted on coming to the hospital. Everyone was there now; Olivia, Nick, Fin, Cragen, Munch, Mackenzie, and Amanda.

Amanda was whispering in Mackenzie's ear, but was getting no response. Mack had gone numb when she heard what had happened, now she was just staring straight ahead, wringing her hands in her lap. Olivia and Amanda had been covered in Kat's blood, so Nick went to their apartments before he went to the hospital. The Benson apartment wasn't as much of a mess that they thought it would be. The worst part was the pool of blood on the beige carpet.

"Liv, you should sit down." John Munch had been the first to speak in hours, nobody had ever seen the laid-back former sergeant so worried.

"No, I won't sit down, John! My daughter could be dying for all I know and I'm stuck in here!" She said, gesturing around the waiting room. Nobody was there except for the front desk nurses and the detectives.

"It's my fault..." Mackenzie had finally spoken, her statement barely audible. This caught all of the adults off guard. Olivia stopped pacing and walked over to Mackenzie, kneeling down in front of her. Amanda had moved so she could look her daughter in the eye.

"It is not your fault, how could this be your fault? You didn't know this was going to happen." Amanda reassured her daughter, Olivia nodding her head in agreement with the blonde.

"I should have made her come up to the apartment with me, I shouldn't have let her go alone." Mackenzie barely got the statement before breaking down in tears. Amanda pulled her daughter into a tight hug, stroking her long blonde hair as she cried.

"Ms. Benson?" The doctor asked from behind. Olivia shot up and walked towards the female doctor, she looked like she hadn't slept in at least twenty hours. Her dirty-blonde hair was up in a messy ponytail, her green eyes filled with sympathy. All of the detectives looked at her with expecting expressions, before any of them could ask any questions, she started speaking.

"As you know, Katherine coded in the ambulance, she coded two more times during surgery, but we were able to bring her back. Your daughter is a fighter, I haven't seen someone survive a beating this bad in a long time. All of Kat's ribs are either severely bruised or broken, two of them are completely shattered, remarkably, none of her organs were punctured." Olivia's heart broke with every word the doctor said.

"She has a severe concussion, which was initiated by a blow to the occipital part of the brain, so there is a good chance that her vision will be effected while she heals. Her collarbone was snapped in two places. She has burns and lacerations on her arms and chest, and she is practically covered in bruises."

Once the doctor had finished Olivia realized that she had started crying and Mackenzie was now at her side, their fingers interlocked. Mackenzie was still crying, just silently now. Mack was the one to ask the question that they were all afraid of.

"Was she raped?" All of the detectives tensed as they awaited the answer.

"No, thankfully." The doctor said with a tired smile.

"Can we see her?" Liv asked, eager to get to her daughter's side.

"Only immediate family for tonight. Once she wakes up, you can all see her. It will be a while, she might not wake up until this afternoon."

Amanda looked at her watch to see that it was already five o'clock in the morning.

"Alright. Liv, we'll see you in a few hours." Amanda said. Olivia turned to the blonde, showing a small amount of relief at the fact that she could finally see her daughter.

"Is there anything you need for us to pick up?" Amanda continued.

"Kat will be here for three days at the least." The female doctor added.

Olivia ran her hand through her hair as she thought of what her daughter would need.

"Uh, she will want some clothes, so go to the apartment and just bring enough sweatpants and tank-tops for her, maybe a couple of hoodies. She will probably want her computer, phone, and phone charger. Then could you just pick up a few pairs of jeans and some shirts for me. All of it should be in our closets."

Amanda and Mackenzie nodded as Mackenzie typed the list of things into her phone.

"I'll grab her guitar too, playing it relaxes her." Mackenzie added. Olivia nodded in agreement, the exhaustion from the day was starting to get to all of them.

After the detectives said their goodbyes, the doctor led Olivia back to Kat's hospital room. Olivia's gasped as she saw her daughter lying unconscious in the hospital bed. Kat looked so helpless, yet almost peaceful, once you get past the wounds that covered most of her exposed skin. It looked like Jason couldn't bring himself to damage her face too much. She just had a black eye and a cut on her lip. Or maybe Jason just didn't have time to damage her face as much as he wanted.

The doctor left after quickly checking Kat's vitals and giving Olivia a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. Olivia moved to the side of the bed and brushed a stray piece of hair out of her daughter's face as a tear made its way down her cheek, landing on the back of Kat's hand. Olivia wiped the tear away and grabbed her sleeping daughter's hand. The older brunette sat down in the chair next to the hospital bed. It only took a couple of minutes for Olivia to fall asleep as she focused on the warmth on her daughter's hand and the beep of the heart monitor.

"I promise you, I will find Jason. He will never touch you again." Olivia promised as she shut her eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.

**/**

**So Kat is okay, but not okay at the same time. I know that this chapter was a little boring, sorry. Hope you guys liked it, nonetheless. Thanks! Don't forget to review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't have much to say before this one. Thank you all for your support, it means a lot since this is my first Fanfic! Here is chapter 6, Enjoy!**

**/**

Olivia jolted awake when she felt the hand under hers move.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Kat's voice was weak and filled with pain, but not as much pain as her eyes displayed.

"No, don't apologize. How long have you been awake?" Olivia asked, placing her free hand on Kat's cheek, smiling as Kat's leaned her head into her hand.

"About fifteen minutes. I was just watching you sleep."

"How much pain are you in?" Olivia had finally remembered that the doctor had said that Kat would probably be in excruciating pain when she finally woke up.

Kat hesitated to answer.

"I'm okay..." The look on her face gave the lie away.

"I'm going to go find a nurse, okay." The detective started to get up, but Kat's grip on her hand tightened.

"I'll be right back, just relax and try not to move." Liv leaned down and kissed Kat on the top of her head. About five minutes later, Olivia returned with a nurse. Kat was just laying there, staring at the ceiling. Olivia knew that her daughter was trying not to think about the pain.

"Katherine, I'm going to need you to try and sit up. Doctor Walsh will be in shortly to administer and medication and check your wounds, I'm just here to check your IV."

And that's exactly what the nurse did. She hung a new IV bag and left. Leaving the two brunettes alone.

"Can you sit up?" Olivia asked, moving closer to Kat in case she needed help.

Kat used the arm that wasn't held against her ribs to prop herself up. Wincing in pain as she settled against the pillows that her mother had placed behind her so she could lean against them. Kat tried to take a deep breath to help the pain, but it just made it one hundred times worse. Kat let out a whimper as she exhaled.

The doctor from the night before entered the room. Doctor Walsh.

"Good afternoon ladies. Katherine, how are you feeling?"

"Like every bus in the state on New York took turns running me over." The fact that Kat was able to make a joke helped Olivia relax a little. Dr. Walsh just chuckled.

"Call me Kat, Katherine makes me feel like I'm in trouble."

" Dually noted. I want you to stare straight ahead, okay?" Dr. Walsh walked over to Kat and shined a light in her eyes. Kat recoiled, hissing in pain as she felt like she was stabbed in the ribs, the light caused a similar feeling in her head.

"What's wrong?" Olivia asked, worried about why her daughter reacted to the light the way she did.

"That damn light. It felt like somebody jammed a knife into the back of my head." Kat answered, her voice loaded with pain and irritation.

"That's normal, it will go away soon." Dr. Walsh put the light back in her coat pocket and went to grab Kat's arms. Kat's face made it obvious that she didn't want her wrists to be exposed.

"I have to check the burns on your wrist, it won't hurt." Dr. Walsh was now talking to Kat like she was an invalid, which neither she nor Olivia appreciated.

Kat exposed her wrists. There was at least five cigarette burns on each. Olivia's blood boiled at the thought of someone doing that to her daughter.

"Are they going to leave scars?" Kat asked, a worried look on her face.

"I don't think so. I am only worried about a couple of burns. It's the lacerations that will probably leave scars."

That's when Olivia noticed the stitches going up her Kat's arms. Most of the cuts were only an inch or two long, but it was the one just below Kat's collarbone that caught the detective's attention. The cut started at by her shoulder and stopped just below her neck.

All of the detectives had shown up during Kat's exam, only Amanda and Mackenzie had stayed in the room, since Kat had to strip down to her bra so Dr. Walsh could get a good look at her ribs. Her abdomen was covered in dark purple bruises, there was barely an inch of normal colored skin left.

"I'm afraid that this is going to be the most painful part." Dr. Walsh looked to the two detectives.

"I want you to hold on to your mother's hand and look straight into Detective Rollins's eyes okay? Try not to pay any attention to what I am doing." Kat obeyed what the doctor was saying. Olivia took Kat's hand in both of hers and Amanda sat at the foot of the bed. Mackenzie had to leave because she didn't want to see her friend in pain. Kat locked eyes with her 'Aunt'. There was something soothing about those blue eyes.

"Okay, here we go... Kat, try to take a deep breath." Dr. Walsh instructed.

Kat tried to take a deep breath, but she stopped when the pain was too much, she just sat there, holding her breath. Afraid of the pain that would come with the exhale. Olivia could tell how much pain her daughter was in by the death grip that her hand was incased in and it broke her heart.

"Just focus on me." Amanda's voice breaking the silence.

"Focus on me, not the pain. Just exhale slowly. It's okay." Amanda's southern drawl made itself prominent as she comforted the young girl. Kat slowly released her breath, tears spilling down her face.

"Mom, I'm gonna break your hand." Kat joked.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it. Just look at Amanda." Olivia reassured, tears now threatening to spill from her eyes as she saw the pain on her daughter's face.

Kat let out a cry of pain as Dr. Walsh put pressure on Kat's ribs.

"What are you doing? You're hurting her!" Olivia glared at the doctor.

"I am making sure that nothing shifted last night. I know it hurts, but it's a necessary evil."

"Really? Do you know _how much_ it hurts?" Kat clenched her jaw, fighting the tears and the pain.

"I could have someone shatter your ribs and then I'll push down on your abdomen, then you can see how it feels. I assure you, you will find another way to make sure that nothing shifted!"

"Katherine, calm down. She's trying to help you." Olivia tried to console her daughter, but Kat was of in her own world of anger.

"Alright, I'm done. You can lay down now." Without another word, Dr. Walsh handed Kat pain meds and left the room. Olivia and Amanda helped Kat put her shirt back on and lay down.

Amanda had gone out in the hallway to get the rest of the group. Nick entered with flowers and a card from Zara, Munch had a book all about conspiracies, Cragen was holding Kat's guitar and Fin was holding the oversized teddy bear that was from everyone.

"Thanks guys. It means a lot." Cragen handed Kat her guitar and she winced as she positioned it under her arm. She started to strum a few chords when Nick got a call.

"Amaro" He answered. "Hey Zara...yes, I gave her the card...she is reading it right now...I don't know if she wants to talk to you." Nick winked at Kat as she nodded her head excitedly and held out her hand for the pone. Nick chuckled and gave her the phone.

"Hey girlie" Kat instantly cheered up. She didn't want Zara to hear how much pain she was in, all of the detectives knew it.

"I did, I loved the card... Maybe you can come visit when I'm better...Really?... Well I am very proud of you... Next time you are in New York we can go to Central Park and you can teach me how to play soccer as well as you can." Kat's face went cold as Zara asked a question.

"No, they haven't found the person who did it..." All of the Detectives looked down and Nick started to take the phone back with an apologetic look, but Kat stopped him.

"You know what Zara, I've gotta go, I'm super tired...Alright... You too. Bye" Kat gave the phone back to Nick and he left to have a conversation with his daughter.

Fin and Munch sighed almost simultaneously.

"Well Ace, I've gotta get back to work. You get better so we can get back to those boxing lessons." Fin said, winking.

"Yeah, You really need the practice."

Fin mocked an offended look and all of the detectives laughed. After 'knuckle bumping' Kat, Fin left. Munch had to get back to being a work as a private investigator so he gave Kat a kiss on the cheek and left. Cragen would have stayed, but Nick had to get back to work and he was Cragen's ride.

Amanda, Liv, Mackenzie, and Kat were the only ones left in the hospital room. Kat was thinking about going to sleep when Mackenzie cleared her throat to speak.

"Don't fall asleep just yet. Love bird number two should be here in about an hour."

Kat looked at Mackenzie with a scared look on her face and the heart monitor started to beep a little bit faster. Olivia thought that it was because Kat was excited about seeing her boyfriend, but the Kat started shaking her head and freaking out.

"No. No, no, no." Kat's breathing became frantic.

Amanda and Olivia didn't know what was going on, but they were trying to calm Kat down. Mackenzie knew exactly what was happening.

"Kat, it'll be fine. He knows that you aren't indestructible. He knows about what happened with Jason." Mackenzie was looking right into the frantic brunettes eyes.

"Kat, honey. You need to calm down. Slow breaths, you're gonna make the pain in your ribs worse."

Olivia's voice seemed to soothe Kat. Her breathing became normal again and the heart monitor had slowed. Liv and Amanda let out relieved sighs.

"Kat, talk to us. Why did you freak out?" Olivia asked, holding onto Kat's hand and rubbing her thumb over her knuckles.

"He can't see me like this, I don't want him to see me in pain."

"Kat, it will be okay."

"What if he decides that I come with too much baggage? What if he decides that he doesn't want to be with me anymore?"

Mackenzie had left the room, probably out of guilt since she was the one who called Caleb.

"We have seen how Caleb looks at you when you aren't looking. That boy worships the ground you walk on. He loves you. He's not going anywhere." Amanda was reassuring Kat as Olivia dried the tears in Kat's eyes. Kat had tensed at the word 'love'. That word scared Kat more than anything.

After about ten minutes, there was a knock on the door. Olivia went to open it and there stood Caleb. He had his hands in the pockets of his dark jeans. Judging by the bags under his eyes, he had been up all night worrying about Kat. He wore a black leather jacket with a somewhat tight, dark blue shirt under it. His black hair was disheveled and his green eyes were duller that usual.

Olivia ushered him in and the women left to give them some privacy.

Caleb sat down on the edge of the bed. When Kat winced, he started freaking out, thinking that he hurt her.

"No, I'm fine." Kat grabbed his hand.

"I'm so sorry that this happened, Kat." Caleb leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. Kat started sobbing.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't do this anymore..." Kat said through sobs.

"What? What are you talking about?" Caleb knew what she was saying, but he didn't want to believe it.

"This." She motioned between herself and Caleb and continued.

"I can't do this, I can't put you through this, and I can't put myself through this. I'm too damaged."

"Kat, you are not too damaged." Caleb grabbed her chin and made her look him in the eyes.

"You are smart, funny, and gorgeous. This is just a speed bump. You'll get through this. I promise." Caleb had started to cry, he knew that Kat had made up her mind. He knew that she thought she wasn't good enough for him.

"Please, just go."

Caleb got up, tears streaming down his face.

"I love you, Katherine Benson. I will show you how much I love you every day until you realize that you are the most amazing girl I have ever met." Caleb leaned over and gave Kat a gentle kiss. Then he turned on his heel and left. Kat was just laying in bed with her hands covering her face.

What Caleb and Kat didn't know was that the three women outside the door could hear the whole conversation. Mackenzie was shaking her head, eyes wide. Caleb moved past them and jogged down the hallway and out the door.

Mackenzie wanted to go after Caleb and smack some sense into him for leaving, but Amanda assured her that he would be back.

"No, they can't break up! She loves him."

Olivia looked to the blonde teen and gave her a sad smile.

"That's why she is letting him go..."

**/**

**So I know that we didn't get a chance to know Caleb, but I promise that is coming up soon. I'm going to try and lighten up the mood in chapter 7. Don't think that I am turning this into some love story. Trust me, I'm not. I was thinking about doing a sequel to this story after it's done, which will be a while. Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey Guys! You are all SO AWESOME! I love the feedback! I hope this isn't getting too boring, I'm trying to figure out how to make it more interesting. I would love suggestions! I'm curious as to where you guys think this is going! Post your ideas in the reviews! Thanks! Enjoy, here's Chapter 7!**

**/**

Caleb left the hospital trying to keep the tears from spilling from his eyes.

_'No, Caleb Roberts doesn't cry'_ He thought to himself as he got onto his motorcycle and put on his helmet.

'_Unless of course the girl you love thinks that she isn't good enough for you and dumps your ass.'_

Caleb sped off on his black Ducati, thinking of ways to show Kat that she was the only girl for him. Before he knew it, the sixteen year-old was in the parking garage of his apartment building and sprinting up the stairs to his fourth- floor apartment.

"Oh, Caleb. You're home! How is Katherine?" A short woman with dark blonde hair came from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.

Caleb swept his hand through his hair as he answered.

"Uh, she's in a lot of pain, but she's getting better."

Mrs. Roberts gave Caleb a sympathetic smile and went back to cooking. Caleb looked around, noticing the absence of his father.

"Where's dad?" Caleb frowned at the look on his mother's face as she answered.

"He's in our room, sleeping."

"And by sleeping, you mean passed out drunk? Mom, it's four o'clock in the evening! Who gets shit-faced at four in the evening? He needs help."

Mrs. Roberts stopped what she was doing and turned to her son, a furious look on her face.

"Caleb Roberts, your father is very stressed out with work right now, and if drinking is his way of dealing with it, then so be it."

Caleb just shook his head and went to his room, slamming the door. His father had been drinking more and more around them lately. It used to be he would get drunk and then pass out at some sleazy bar for the night, but now, Mr. Roberts was drinking around the family. It's not like Mr. Roberts was a bad person... before his drinking he was a loving husband in a caring father. Now he was just the drunk that lived with them.

"Caleb...?" A small voice came from the closet. Caleb opened the door and found his little brother, Isaac, with his knees pulled up to his chest. Isaac had taken to hiding in Caleb's closet when their father drank.

"Yeah buddy?" Caleb asked, kneeling down by his brother.

"Why were you yelling at mom?"

"I wasn't yelling bud, we were just having an adult conversation. That's all."

"You're not an adult. You're only sixteen!" Isaac said with a mocking tone and a big smile on his face.

"I'm more of an adult than you are!" Caleb lunged for his brother, picked him up, and spun him around the room. Out of all the crap that was going on in Caleb's life, Isaac and Kat were the only constants.

Caleb stopped spinning Isaac and just held him still and looked him straight in the eyes. His dark green ones meeting Isaac's shocking gray ones.

"Now, you remember Kat, right?"

Isaac nodded, grinning wildly.

"She taught me how to throw a right hook! She said that I was better then you were! I like her!"

Caleb laughed.

"Yeah kid, I like her too. She's in really bad shape right now. Do you want to help me? I think I have an idea to help her get better."

Isaac just nodded. Caleb held up his hand and Isaac gave him a high-five. Caleb ruffled his hair as he placed the small boy back on his feet.

"Get your shoes on, I'll take you for ice cream and I can tell you all about my idea."

Isaac ran out of the room. Caleb sighed and tried not to think about the fact that Kat was laying in a hospital in excruciating pain and there was nothing he could do. After fixing his hair and tying the shoe that had come untied, Caleb followed his brother out of the apartment.

**/**

Only one word could describe Kat as she layed in the hospital. Broken. Both physically and emotionally. She had been in the hospital for four days now, and she had started talking less and less. She refused to talk to nurses, and she was drifting from the detectives. She was even drifting from Olivia. Two days ago, Kat wouldn't let Olivia leave her side, and now she had practically begged Olivia to go back to work. After yelling from both of the brunettes, and a visit from the doctor when Kat's heart rate had gone up too high, Olivia agreed to go back to work. She still spent the nights at the hospital, much to Kat's distain.

Kat had been waking up every night screaming from nightmares, which is why Olivia stayed. Seeing the fear in her daughter's eyes when she woke up scared the hell out of the detective. Dr. George Huang had gotten the news of the attack and he had flown in from Los Angeles. Kat had agreed to talk to George about her PTSD, which she still denied having. She only agreed to get Olivia off of her back, today was her first session. George had asked Olivia to sit in on the first couple of sessions, just to ensure that Kat would be comfortable around him.

Kat in the hospital bed while Olivia took the chair by the bed and George took the couch against the wall. Olivia had tried to hold Kat's hand, but Kat pulled her hand away. Causing the older woman's heart to break.

Olivia and Kat were shook out of their thoughts by Dr. Huang clearing his throat.

"Okay Kat, how are you feeling?" George asked, his tone probably would have been comforting to anyone else, but to a stressed out Kat, it was just annoying.

"I'm fine. You're wasting your time." Kat said, a little too defensive.

"Katherine..." Olivia started, but she was cut off.

"No, Mom, no. I'm fine. So what? I've had a few bad dreams. Shit happens._ I'm_. _Fine._"

"You were brutally attacked, Kat. You refuse to talk to doctors, you stopped welcoming visitors. I think that you most certainly aren't fine." George look Kat straight in the eyes, his tone less comforting now.

"I just don't want people here. I want some time to myself! What's wrong with that?!"

"There is nothing wrong with that."

"Then I don't see why you are here."

George and Olivia ignored the hostile tone in Kat's voice.

"Why don't you tell me about those?"

George motioned to the stack of letters next to Kat's bed. Two or three of them were from colleges asking Kat to come interview with them. After all, she starting her senior year of high school in a couple months and she had a 4.3 GPA, colleges wanted her to attend school with them. The rest of the letters were from Caleb, he had been dropping them off every day. When he wasn't giving her letters he was texting, calling, and e-mailing Kat. Begging her to take him back or reassuring her that everything would be okay and that he would wait until she realized how much he loved her. He had even started sending her links to songs that they loved to listen to. Each message had just made her heart break more.

"I don't want to open them." Kat said, refusing to look over at the letters in fear of crying.

"Why not?" Huang normally wouldn't pry this much, but he knew that Kat was just like Olivia. You have to be tough until she breaks down, then it is time for comforting.

"Because okay. Just because!" Kat didn't mean to yell, but that's how the words came out.

Olivia had grabbed Kat's hand successfully, Kat was too tired to pull her hand away.

"George, can we stop for now. Maybe next week." Olivia looked at her friend with pleading eyes, she knew how much the break up had hurt Kat and she didn't want Kat to think about it when she was already in so much pain.

"Alright. Kat, I'll see you next week. Liv, do you just want me to come to your apartment since she is going home tomorrow?"

"Actually, you can come to the precinct. She's going to come to work with me until we catch Jason. she isn't safe at the apartment alone."

"She can hear you. She's right here! And she doesn't need to be babysat by her mother!" Kat snapped. She was now laying on her side, her back facing the two adults. Kat had been like this all week. She was frustrated that the pain hadn't stopped and she was ready to get out of the hospital.

Olivia sighed and leaned down and kissed Kat on the side of her head, earning a grunt of disapproval from the teen.

"Get some sleep, I'll be right back."Olivia whispered to Kat, then turned to the psychologist.

"Come one George, I'll walk you out."

"Take your time!" Kat called after them.

Olivia shut the door to Kat's room and she and Dr. Huang made their way to the elevator. Once they were inside, Olivia pressed the button to the lobby.

"So how are you doing Olivia?"

Olivia let out a chuckle and then a sigh, running her hand through her chestnut brown hair.

"My daughter is suffering both emotionally and physically and she won't let me do a damn thing to help her."

"She's you." George let out a small laugh.

"So I've heard."

"Well, if you were in this situation, what would you want?"

"For people not to give up on me. I'd feel like that's what people were going to do."

"Well there you go. There's your answer. Katherine is pushing everyone away because she thinks that if she does, it won't hurt as much when the people she loves leave."

"But we aren't going anywhere! I sure as hell am not going anywhere."

"Well you need to let her know that. Liv, she is just doing what feels natural. You know how you felt when Elliot left?"

Liv looked at the doctor, confused. What did Elliot have to do with any of this?

"Elliot was the closest thing Kat had to a father growing up, and he left without even saying goodbye. For all she knows, he completely forgot she existed. Same thing with Casey Novak, she went to Maryland after being disbarred, then she came back and left again. Alex left without any notice, even though it was out of her control. I bet that Kat avoids Alex, doesn't she?"

Olivia just stared at Huang, how did he know all of this?

"What I'm saying is that Kat is feeling like everybody she cares about is going end up leaving her, and now after what Jason did, I bet she thinks that they might even hurt her. That could be another reason why she broke up with Caleb, she lost all trust in people that she was in relationships with."

George and Olivia exited the hospital and George got into the car that he had rented.

"You're her mother, you tell me. Just make sure that she knows that you aren't going anywhere." With that, George left.

Olivia shoved her hands in her pockets and went back up to Kat's room to find her daughter sleeping peacefully. Olivia started stroking Kat's hair, causing the teen to wake, but she didn't open her eyes. Olivia didn't notice that her daughter was still awake, so she leaned down until she was only a couple of inches away from Kat's face.

"You are mine, baby girl. I am not going anywhere. I love you. We _all _love you. Don't you ever doubt that."

Kat tried to hide the tear that slid down her cheek, luckily Olivia was busy getting herself comfortable in her chair to notice.

"Tomorrow we go home..." And with that, Olivia fell asleep.

Kat just stared at her until her own brown eyes closed. The two women had the best night's sleep that either of them had had in a week.

**/**

**Okay, so Kat is going home! How will she react to being back in the place where Jason attacked her? I'm sorry that this chapter was so boring! I'll try and publish chapter 8 tonight and make it more exciting! Thanks, please review and be honest about what you thought!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 is here! I'm really getting attached to this story and I hope you guys like it as much as I do! Keep it up with the reviews! Thanks guys!**

**/**

Kat just stared at the door to her and her mother's apartment, she didn't think that coming home would affect her the way it did.

"Home sweet home" Kat wasn't expecting her mother to say anything, so she jumped out of surprise. The jolt caused a twinge of pain in her ribs and she grimaced.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Olivia reached out and rubbed Kat's arm, careful not to put too much pressure on the cuts that laced her daughter's arms. The doctor had taken the stitches out, so now they just had to keep the wounds from opening again and keep them clean. Dr. Walsh had said that they shouldn't leave very prominent scars. There were three burns that she guaranteed would leave scars and of course the cut on Kat's chest would scar.

"Everything came back to me when I saw the door." Kat was surprised to hear herself choking up and she felt the sting of tears in her eyes.

Olivia grabbed Kat's shoulders and forced the teen to look at her.

"That is completely normal with PTSD." Kat started to argue that she wasn't suffering from Post Traumatic Stress, but Olivia held up her hand to stop her.

"Don't give me that crap, you and I both know that you aren't fine. It's okay to not be fine every now and then. Even us Bensons aren't indestructible. Now, flashbacks are going to happen, and it's okay. I am here, Amanda is here, Fin, Nick, Mack, even Alex. Hell, I bet if you called Casey she would let you talk to her about them, and you can always call Doctor Huang. We are all here for you okay. That bastard took a lot from you, but he did not take your family away. Alright?"

Kat nodded, a tears rolling down her cheeks. Olivia reached out and wiped them away with her thumbs.

" Let's go inside."

"What about the blood?" Kat's voice came out in a whisper.

"Fin and Nick came and got rid of the carpet. Amanda and Mack came and cleaned the blood off of the walls. The place looks just like it did before all of this happened."

"Minus a carpet..." Kat joked.

"Yeah, minus a carpet." Olivia chuckled. She grabbed her keys from her pocket and opened the door.

Liv was right, it looked the same as it always did. Kat walked over to the middle of the living room. She stood there for a minute, then everything came back. It was like she was like a movie happening right before her eyes.

Liv noticed Kat's eyes glaze over as she stood there. Kat started shaking and her knees buckled. Within seconds, Olivia was by her daughter's side. Hugging her and whispering 'you are safe' in her ear, but Kat couldn't hear her.

"No! Please, don't hurt me! I'm sorry! Please!" Kat screamed, trying to get away from Olivia, Kat didn't know that it was her mother who was holding her. She thought it was Jason.

"Kat, sweetheart. You're safe. It's me, it's mom. You're here with me. It's okay. You're okay." Olivia whispered in Kat's ear.

After what seemed like a lifetime, the flashback had passed. Kat was just letting her mother hold her as she sobbed. This was the first time she had let herself cry over the emotional pain that she felt. She had cried once over the physical pain, but never the emotional.

"Shhhhh, baby, it's okay. He won't hurt you again." Olivia was stroking Kat's hair with one hand while the other she used to hold the teen's head against her chest, stroking her face gently with her thumb.

"He's still out there..." Kat was still sobbing.

"He won't be for long. I promise, we will get him."

"Didn't IAB take you off the case since I'm your daughter?"

"Turns out that Lieutenant Tucker has a soft spot for the youngest Benson. He's letting me lead the case. He even told me to use the term 'excessive force' lightly."

"That gives him a couple points, but he's still an ass." Kat laughed lightly.

Olivia chuckled.

"That he is my sweet girl. That he is."

"I'm tired... I'm gonna go to bed." Kat started to get up, but Olivia's grip tightened.

Kat looked up at her mother quizzically. Olivia moved across the floor and leaned comfortably against the couch. She then reached up and grabbed the blanket that was draped over the arm and placed it over her and her daughter. Kat got the message and wrapped her arms around Olivia's waist and snuggled farther into her mother. Olivia rested her chin on top of Kat's head, afraid to tighten her grip any further around Kat's waist because her ribs were still causing a lot of pain.

Kat was just about to fall asleep when she felt something wet on top of her head. Kat loosened her grip and looked up at Olivia to see tears streaming down her face.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Kat asked, she was worried about her mother. The detective almost never cried and when she did, she made sure that nobody was there to witness it.

"I'm just glad that you're okay. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you." Olivia said, automatically feeling silly for crying.

"You can't get rid of me that easily. I'm not going anywhere, mom. Who else would remind you to eat whenever you get caught up in a case?"

Olivia laughed.

"I don't know, babe."

"And who would put up with Mack's antics? I think Amanda would go insane and you would go insane trying to keep Amanda from going insane." Kat paused."That didn't make any sense. Damn pain pills! Make me all loopy."

"It made perfect sense to me. Now get some rest."

Kat got settled again into her mother's arms.

"Can I ask you something? If you don't want to talk about it, it's okay. I'll understand."

"Anything." Olivia expected Kat to ask about her father, which she had never done before. Olivia had been preparing herself for this conversation for the past sixteen years.

"What happened in the ambulance? It's all kind of a blur." Kat felt Olivia tense at the question.

"Well..." Olivia's voice had a tremble to it, but she continued after clearing her throat.

"We found you in the Ramble, that you know. As Amanda and I were getting into the ambulance after you, they started to lose you. They kept telling you to keep your eyes open, but it was almost like you couldn't hear them, you just looked me right in the eyes and said 'I love you'. Then your heart stopped, you lost so much blood. They performed CPR and after the longest thirty seconds of my life, your heart started beating again." Olivia had started sobbing and Kat tightened her grip on her mother, not caring about how much pain it caused her.

"It's okay. I'm right here. I'm okay." Kat reassured, she had never seen her mother break down like this and she couldn't help but feel responsible.

"I thought I lost you. I swear, my heart stopped with yours. I kept thinking about how I wasn't there as much as I should have been, and how I couldn't save you when Jason had you."

"Hey, look at me." Kat was now sitting across from her mother, holding both of her mother's hands in her own.

"I am right here. Breathing with a beating heart." Kat took one of Olivia's hands, placed it over her heart, and covered it with her own.

"You have never given up on me, and I'm never giving up on you. I will never leave you. You always have my back and I always have yours. That's what Bensons do, we look out for each other. We help others, and we look damn good doing it." Olivia let out a laugh in agreement.

"I can't promise that I will be the same Kat that I always was. It's gonna take some time, it still hurts, but there is one good thing about having a broken heart."

Liv looked at her daughter. She seemed so much older at this moment. The older brunette looked at the younger, brown eyes meeting identical brown eyes. Kat broke eye contact to settle into her mother's embrace one more time, then continued.

"If it can be broken, then that means it still works."

Olivia just let her daughter's statement sink in, then responded.

"Are you sure that you're only sixteen?"

Kat laughed.

"If I'm older, then that would make you older."

"Tread lightly Katherine." Olivia wasn't able to hide the joking in her voice.

" I'm sorry for the way I acted in the hospital. You know that I love you, right."

"Oh baby, of course I know that. I love you too. Now go to sleep. I can see how tired you are."

"I feel like I should be offended, but you're right. Besides, I need my beauty rest. I called Caleb, he agreed to come to the precinct tomorrow so we can talk. I think I made a mistake with telling him to leave."

"He'll forgive you. It'll all be fine. He knows that you thought you were keeping safe. I'm sorry that I'm forcing you to come to work with me, I just don't want you here alone."

"Trust me, being alone is the _last_ thing I want right now."

After that, Kat's body relaxed and her breathing slowed. She had finally fallen asleep. Liv kissed the top of her daughter's head and closed her eyes. They slept on the floor that night. No nightmares, no waking up in fits of pain, no nothing. Just them.

**/**

**So I bawled as I wrote this chapter, I hope you guys liked it. Please review. Chapter 9 will have some action in it. I promise! Please Review! Thanks y'all!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey! So here's Chapter 9! My day sucked, so I'm gonna write until I forget about it, I might post like 4 chapters tonight. Haha. I own nothing, all characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. Thanks for the support!**

**/**

Kat's eyes slowly opened, she was surprised to find herself on the floor, wrapped in her mother's arms, but then she remembered the night before. Kat smiled to herself and tightened her grip around her mother's waist. The sun was coming in through the window and right into Kat's eyes. The teen buried her face in Olivia's hair and closed her eyes.

"You know we can't stay here all day..." Olivia chuckled.

"I didn't know you were awake."

"I've been up for about an hour." Olivia admitted. Kat moved away from her reluctantly.

"You could have woken me up."

"You and I both know that if would have gotten my head ripped off if I had. You're less of a morning person than I am."

"Yeah, you're right. "

Olivia got up from where she sat on the floor, then grabbed Kat's hand to help her up.

"I can get up on my own, you know."

"Not without feeling like you're being stabbed in the ribs."

"Details..." Kat winked at her mother and slowly made her way to the bathroom. "I get first shower!" she called over her shoulder.

Olivia went into the kitchen and started brewing the coffee. She set out two travel mugs, one for her and one for Kat. All though, she didn't even feel like she needed the coffee, she felt refreshed and completely awake.

As she waited for Kat to be done in the shower, Liv turned on the news and relaxed on the couch. She didn't pay attention though, all she could think about was that the bastard who hospitalized her daughter was still out there. After about twenty minutes, Kat came out of the bathroom in jeans and a tank top, her hair up in a towel. Olivia could see the cuts and burns were starting to heal, which made her somewhat happy.

Kat walked over to her mother and handed her a roll of bandages. Olivia took them and Kat pulled her tank top up so her abdomen was exposed. Kat heard a sharp intake of breath from the older brunette and she looked down at her ribs. The bruises were lighter, they were more of a light blueish purple than anything. Honestly, it wasn't a pretty sight.

Olivia held the loose end of the bandage to Kat's skin, looking up at Kat for approval to make sure that she wasn't causing the young girl any pain.

"It's okay, I'm fine." Kat said as she nodded.

Olivia continued. She wrapped the bandages around Kat as tight as she could.

"You good? It doesn't hurt, does it?"

Kat shrugged.

"It'll pass, I'm okay."

"Kat..."

Kat placed her hand on Olivia's arm, Olivia stopped talking.

"I'm fine, really. It's just a little uncomfortable. I should probably get used to it. I'm stuck like this for the next two months."

"Okay, but if it gets worse-"

"I'll let you know." Kat finished the sentence for her mother, giving her a genuine smile.

Olivia nodded and went off to take a shower. At this rate, she and Kat would be forty-five minutes late. Olivia hurried in the shower, eager to get to work and find Jason. When she walked out of her room, all dressed and ready to go, she saw Kat in the kitchen. Kat had on ripped jeans and a plain, red, long-sleeved v-neck. She had a black tank-top under it, which was only exposed about an inch. Kat's hair was curled at the ends and it fell over her shoulders. She looked casual, yet beautiful. Olivia's heart swelled with pride at her daughter.

Before the left, Kat grabbed a book and her guitar. Olivia grabbed her badge and her gun, clipping them both to her belt.

"Ready to go kick some ass?" Kat asked, laughing.

"All day, every day." Olivia winked at the laughing teen and they left.

**/**

Amanda watched as Olivia walked in to the SVU squad room, followed by a slow-moving Kat. Everyone could tell that Kat was still in pain by the way she was walking. The doctor had said that she needed to spend most of her time sitting down and relaxing for the next week, but Kat had Olivia Benson's blood flowing in her veins; That sure as hell wasn't happening.

"Any leads?" Olivia asked, coming from her office after setting her things down. Kat made a mad dash right to the coffee machine, pouring Liv a cup, and then pouring one for herself. They had both finished their travel mugs of coffee on the way to the precinct.

"Jason took off, his parents say that he packed a bag and left." Amanda answered. Fin and Nick had walked over to join the conversation.

"I called all of his immediate family, nobody has seen him." Nick added.

Olivia let out an exasperated sigh.

"He won't leave the city, he probably won't even leave the west side. The city is all he knows." Kat said, not looking up from her book. She still felt the sting of tears behind her eyes when she talked about Jason.

"Are there any friends that he would go to?" The question had come from Fin.

Kat looked up from her book after getting her emotions under control.

"Uh, he really only has one friend. Andrew Jacobs. He's a slime ball, I wouldn't be surprised if he's hiding Jason somewhere."

"Amanda?" Amanda was copying the Jacobs' address off of her computer screen. She handed the slip of paper to Liv.

"Alright, Fin and I will go pick him up. You good here?" Olivia asked Kat.

"Mom, I'm fine. I practically grew up in the squad room. Just go." Kat answered. Olivia nodded and kissed Kat on the forehead.

"Andrew always has a knife in his pocket. Be careful."

"Always."

With that, Liv and fin left. Leaving Amanda, Kat, and Nick in the squad room. Kat got up, swayed a little, then sat back down. The detectives' concern went into overdrive.

"You alright, hon?" Amanda asked as she helped Kat get up from the chair for the second time.

"Yeah, I'm fine. This damn concussion just causes the room to spin sometimes. I'm good, I promise." Kat smiled at Amanda and then to Nick. The detectives backed off, they knew better than to pry with Kat.

Kat's phone buzzed and she opened a text from Mack.

'_Hey, how's it goin'? How's life at the precinct?' _

Kat smiled and typed her reply.

_'It's fine, Mom and Fin went to go pick up Andrew, we think he knows where Jason is. Amanda and Nick are watching me like hawks though. I can't wait until this all ends.'_

Mack replied within the minute.

'_Yeah, mom can be a helicopter mom sometimes. She's just worried. Usually you and Aunt Liv are the Badass Bensons. Nobody is used to seeing you like this. It'll get better.'_

Kat was about to reply when another text from Mack popped up.

'_Aunt Liv went to get Andrew? Don't you want him alive so you can get information?'_

This made Kat laugh harder than she anticipated, and she grabbed her ribs as an attempt to dull the pain.

_'I'm not worried about Andrew, it's Jason that she'll probably kill.'_

This time it took Mackenzie about five minutes to reply.

_'Yeah, mom wants to kick his ass too. Nobody touches the Benson or Rollins girls and gets away with it.'_

_'Damn right! Well, I'm gonna go, I need to clear my head.'_

'_Alright Benson, I'll come over to the precinct later. You've gotta tell me all about what happens with Caleb. Good luck!'_

Kat put her phone in her pocket and went into her mother's office. She shut the blinds, picked up her guitar and started playing the first song that came to mind. She was surprised at how easy it was to sing with the wrap around her ribs.

_"Just yesterday mornin'; they let me know you were gone_

_Suzanne the plans they made out an end to you_

_I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song_

_I just can't remember who to send it to..."_

**/**

Olivia's grip was tight on Andrew Jacobs's arm as she dragged him into the precinct. The other detectives were surprised at the look of fury in her eyes. Liv walked him into the interrogation room, then walked to the door.

"I'll come back in a bit. You have a decision to make. Talk, or jail." She spat.

"I ain't tellin' you anything. " Jacobs looked straight into Olivia's eyes, but his gaze faltered.

_'This punk is afraid of me, he'll talk eventually'_ Liv thought to herself. With that, she left.

She made her way to her office, but stopped with her hand on the doorknob. She heard the sound of Kat's guitar, then she heard her daughter start a new song. She smiled; James Taylor, their favorite.

"She's been at that for about a half an hour." Amanda said, coming up to the door and leaning in to listen.

_"And hey, babe, the sky's on fire, I'm dying, ain't I? _

_I'm going to Carolina in my mind."_

The song came from the room, Kat's voice was soft, but strong. Just like her personality.

"She's really good. Why doesn't she sing more often?" Amanda asked.

Liv shrugged.

"I don't know. She really just does it whenever she is bored or stressed or something. It calms her."

"Well, we've all enjoyed it."

"Let's leave her, she needs time by herself. I've got a bug to crush." Liv said, motioning toward the interrogation room. "You wanna help?"

"Absolutely." Amanda's sweet tone changed to one of anger.

"How do you wanna play it?"

"I'd like to see your Mama Bear mode again."

"I like the way you think Detective."

The two detectives made their way to the interrogation room.

**/**

Liv grabbed Andrew by the shirt, pulling him up from where he sat, and pushing him up against the wall of the small room.

"Lady, I don't know where he is! He came by about a week ago covered in blood, he said he needed a place to hide out. I said no."

"Somebody comes to your house covered in another person's blood and you don't turn them in to the cops?!" Liv was fuming. She was so close to breaking this kid's nose.

"Jason is crazy! If I turn him in, he kills me!" Olivia let him go, pinching the bridge of her nose and crossing to the other side of the room.

"Andrew." Amanda jumped in now, playing the good cop, even though she wanted to slap the slime ball that stood in front of her. She continued.

"We can protect you, just tell us where Jason went. Did he ask for anything? Money? Weapons?"

Jacobs straightened his shirt.

"He took money and the gun from his dad's safe. He just wanted a place to stay."

"Whoa, wait." Liv turned to them. " He has a gun? Did he say what it was for?"

"He said that there were two bitch detectives that he needed to take care of... After he offs Kat and some guy she's been screwing. He said he would make a show of it, kill the guy in front of Kat, then kill Kat in front of the detectives. My guess is that you two are the detectives.

The color drained from Olivia's face.

"Did he say where he was going to do it? When? Anything?"

"When you least expect it. I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up here. He knows that you're comfortable here. He's not a complete idiot."

Liv and Amanda didn't say anything, they just looked at each other. Jason wasn't getting anywhere near Kat or Caleb. They were both shocked when Andrew started talking again.

"He is probably stalking Kat's new guy. Last time a girl dumped him, he stalked the guy she dated after him and beat the shit out of him. Look detectives, I've made a lot of stupid decisions over the years, and I know that Kat couldn't care less about me, but she's a nice girl. I don't want to see her get hurt."

Liv and Amanda were somewhat touched at what he said. Amanda thanked him and walked him out of the squad room. Liv just stood in the interrogation room until she had composed herself.

When she walked into the squad room, she saw something that made her heart stop. Panic set in as she saw Caleb walking towards Kat, a smile on his face. He brought Kat into a hug and whispered something in her ear. Kat released him from the hug and gave him a kiss. Then something caught everyone's attention. Somebody had called Kat's name. The two teens turned and Liv saw a tall figure out of the corner of her eye. Without thinking, the detective ran towards her daughter as the figure raised a gun. The sound of a gunshot rang through the precinct as Olivia pushed her Kat out of the way.

Nick reacted and tackled the gunman to the ground. Everybody looked to where Jason had fired. Kat screamed at the sight in front of her. Olivia pulled Kat into her body, turning her daughter away so she couldn't see Caleb Roberts laying dead on the squad room floor.

**/**

**Yeah, that just happened. Sorry if you liked Caleb! We will still get to know more about him and his family throughout the story. There is a reason why I didn't have Nick shoot Jason! Stay tuned! Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**So here's Chapter 10! Not much to say after what happened in chapter 9... Here we go. Enjoy!**

**/**

Katherine Benson sat on the curb in front of the precinct, wrapped in a jacket with 'NYPD' printed on the back. She looked down at herself, she had managed to get out of her mother's arms and rush over to Caleb's body. When the coroner showed up to take the body away, it took Olivia, Fin, and Amanda to pull her away from him. Now she was covered in his blood.

Kat was numb, she didn't even know that Mack was there until she felt fingers entwine themselves with hers. She looked over to her best friend. Brown eyes met blue. Mack gave Kat's hand a squeeze.

Mackenzie and Kat just sat there, not saying anything as police officials bustled around outside the precinct. Mackenzie looked over when she heard a cry come from a crowd as they wheeled Caleb's body out of the building in a body bag. A short woman with long dirty-blonde hair and a tall man with black hair stared at the body bag in anguish and horror. Mack recognized them as Caleb's parents. Shifting her gaze from Mr. and Mrs. Roberts, Mack saw her mother and Olivia talking to a detective from Internal Affairs. Olivia kept glancing over to Kat nervously, her eyes met the blonde teen's. They asked a silent question. Mack shook her head. Tears formed in the detectives eyes.

"You!" Someone shouted. Kat sensed someone walking towards her, so she stood up. Her eyes met the green eyes of Mrs. Roberts. They were filled with pain, sadness, and anger.

Mrs. Roberts slapped Kat across the face as hard as she could, causing Mackenzie to shove her and Olivia and Amanda to rush over to them.

"What the hell is your problem lady?!" Mackenzie screamed at the woman, fuming.

Mrs. Roberts ignored the blonde, she just looked Kat straight in the eye. Olivia moved closer to her daughter protectively.

"This is all your fault! You bitch! If you hadn't have entered my son's life this never would have happened! It should be you in that body bag!"

"Hey!" Olivia stepped in between Kat and the woman. "You have no right to talk to my daughter that way! This is not her fault!"

"You might as well just put her on a bus now detective. It might be you getting rolled out in a bag next time. That whore of yours only brings trouble."

Mrs. Roberts shoved Olivia out of the way, and stepped closer to Kat, her face inches away from the teen's. Her face softened when she saw how broken the girl was.

"You are the reason that this happened, and now you have to live with that. "

Kat didn't say anything, she just shoved her way past the woman and walked to Olivia's car. She opened the door and got inside. Staring straight ahead.

Olivia turned to Caleb's mother.

"You don't have any right to judge my daughter. She did not mean for any of this to happen. This was_ not_ her fault. You lost a child today, and my heart breaks for you, but as you can see; My child is far gone as well." Olivia pointed to the her daughter sitting in the car, then continued. "She loved your son more than you could ever know. So next time you want to blame someone, think about who it is. Is it the person who pulled the trigger, or the person who was there for your son when his life ended. You didn't see what we saw in there. You didn't see the light fade from Kat's eyes as she watched Caleb die."

Olivia turned and walked to her car. She got in and drove off. She looked over to Kat. She was covered in blood, her brown eyes distant and cold.

Liv grabbed her daughter's hand and ran her thumbs over Kat's knuckles. Kat looked down at their entwined hands for a minute, then looked straight ahead again.

Kat opened her mouth to say something, but she closed it again. She just wanted to go home and sleep.

**/**

Kat woke five times that night, screaming. The first four times, Olivia had managed to coax her daughter back to sleep, but the last time, Kat didn't go back to sleep. She just walked out into the living room and sat down on the couch with her knees pulled up to her chest. Not paying attention to the pain in her ribs. Olivia had followed her out into the living room and sat there with her for a half an hour until Kat spoke for the first time in hours.

"Go to sleep." The words came out in a whisper.

"I'm not leaving you." Olivia said, grabbing her daughter's hand. Kat gave her a sad smile. After sitting in silence for about ten minutes, Kat got up without a word and walked into Olivia's bedroom. Liv followed her, worried. Kat climbed under the covers in her mother's bed.

"What are you doing?" Olivia asked.

"You need to sleep. I'll be right here." Kat patted the spot next to her and Olivia climbed into bed.

Once Liv was settled, Kat moved closer and placed her head on Olivia's chest. The older brunette wrapped one arm around her daughter and mindlessly ran her hand through the young girl's hair.

Olivia's hand stopped moving through Kat's hair and her breathing steadied. Kat smiled as she realized that her mother had fallen asleep. Kat's eyes started to shut, but she fought the exhaustion. Every time she closed her eyes she would see Caleb's body laying on the precinct floor.

She thought of his eyes. The beautiful green eyes that could read Kat so well. She thought of how he held her when they watched a movie on the couch. Mainly she thought his voice and how he could give a word a whole new meaning just by saying it.

She was going to miss the way he would whisper soothing things into her ear every time Olivia went on a risky police operation, or the way he looked at her when she read, even the way he ran his hand through his hair when he was stressed or embarrassed.

He treated her like she was the only girl in the world, and she couldn't save him. She knew it wasn't her fault that Caleb was gone. It was Jason's. She still couldn't help but feel guilty.

Kat finally found the courage to close her eyes. This time she didn't see his lifeless body, bleeding. This time, she saw his smile. She saw the way he chased his little brother around at the park. She saw all that he was. She saw the love her had for her. As Kat drifted into sleep she promised herself that she wouldn't remember Caleb as she saw him tonight. Not as the Caleb in the body bag, or on the squad room floor, but as she saw him every other day. The Caleb she loved.

**/**

**Um, yeah. I don't really know what to say about this one... It was hard to write, but I hope you guys liked it. Please Review! Thanks guys!**


	11. Chapter 11

**So the past two chapters have been pretty heavy and I this one will be too I think. I have an idea for a chapter that is just adding some fun to the characters' lives, but it's gonna take a chapter or two to lead up to it. So enjoy chapter 11!**

**/**

Kat's eyes fluttered open. She was sprawled on Olivia's bed, her mother nowhere in sight. Yesterday came flooding back, causing tears to form in Kat's eyes. She blinked the tears away and looked at the alarm clock next to the bed. 10:30 A.M.. Kat never slept past eight, not even on the weekends. Sighing, she got up from the bed and walked out of her mother's room.

Kat was surprised to see Olivia, Amanda, and Mackenzie sitting in the living room. She knew that nobody would have to go to work at the precinct today, since it was still a crime scene.

By the looks on their faces and the way they stopped talking when Kat walked in, she guessed they were talking about what had happened the night before.

Mackenzie was the first to speak. Her blue eyes meeting Kat's brown ones. They were full of sympathy.

"Hey Kat."

This earned a pained smile from the brunette.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" Olivia stood up from her chair and walked over to Kat, kissing her on the forehead.

"My ribs hurt." Was all the young girl said as she walked to the kitchen, got a glass of water, and popped one of her prescription pain killers.

Amanda flinched when she saw Kat's hands, hoping that no one would notice, but they all did. Kat looked down at her hands and tears immediately started falling. There was still blood under her fingernails and staining her skin.

Kat hurriedly turned to the sink and started washing her hands. Sobbing, she scrubbed her hands, the blood was gone, but she couldn't help feel like it was still there.

Olivia walked over to her daughter and shut off the water, but Kat turned it back on. She kept scrubbing her hands, they were nearly raw when Amanda came up behind Kat and wrapped her arms around her as Olivia shut off the water again. The young girl collapsed to the floor. Amanda slowly went down with her, holding her as she sobbed.

"Why?" Was all Kat could say. She kept saying it over and over again.

"I don't know baby." Olivia said, holding her daughter's hands. Amanda was still holding Kat. She had let herself settle into the detective.

"I don't know why, but I do know that this was not your fault. Do you understand?" Olivia reassured. She used her finger to push Kat's chin up so their brown eyes had met.

Kat nodded. She had calmed down some finally.

"Come on, let's go to the couch."

Olivia stood up and held her hand out to her daughter. She took it and allowed her mother to guide her to the couch. Amanda was following closely.

Mackenzie was already on the couch. Kat settled in and set her head on Mack's shoulder. At first, Mackenzie was reluctant, she wasn't good at comforting people, but after a while, she relaxed. The two girls had been on the couch for an hour and Kat had drifted back to sleep.

Amanda and Olivia had gone out to get Chinese food. They all agreed that Kat needed to eat. They all also knew that the young girl wouldn't want to, so they thought that getting her favorite would make it less of a struggle.

Mack was shifted from her thoughts when Kat lifted her head from where it rested.

"Welcome back, sleeping beauty." Mackenzie said jokingly as Kat rubbed her tired eyes.

"You snore worse than my mom does." She continued.

"I do not!" The brunette said, slugging Mack in the arm and wearing a smile that actually reached her eyes.

"Aunt Amanda snores like a damn freight train." Kat said as she moved on the couch so she was facing Mackenzie. Crossing her legs.

"You got that right." Mackenzie said, mirroring her best friend's position. Her face going serious.

"Are you okay? Like really. Don't go all Benson on me. Tell me the truth."

"No, but I will be." Kat answered, running her hand through her brown locks.

"I'm so sorry. "

Kat saw a tear spill from the blue eyes that stared back at her.

"What? Why are you sorry Mack?"

Mack took a deep breath before answering.

"Ever since I got the call that you had been rushed to the hospital after the attack, I can't help but feel guilty. If I hadn't let you go home. If I had made you stay at my place. You would have been safe and none of this would have happened." Tears were flowing freely from Mack's eyes now.

"Mackenzie Jennifer Rollins. Look at me." It felt weird saying her friend's full name, but it was necessary to get the point across. Once Mack's eyes met hers again, she continued.

"This is not your fault. This is not my fault. The only person who is to blame is Jason. Alright? Do you understand me?" Kat reached out and wiped the tears from the blond girl's face before pulling her into a tight hug.

"Damn, _Olivia_." Mackenzie mocked. Kat laughed, she was right. She had sounded just like her mother.

"Hey, I resent that." Kat said laughing.

"Resent what?" Amanda asked. She and Liv had just walked in and had heard the end of the conversation.

"I was just telling Kat that she was just like Aunt Liv." Mack said as Kat stuck out her tongue.

Olivia faked an offended look.

"And by saying I resent what she said, I meant I was overwhelmingly flattered." Kat said.

"Nice save Benson." Amanda said, chuckling.

Olivia turned to Kat, who was pulling the food out of the take out bag.

"You seem better, are you okay?" The eldest Benson asked, concerned.

Kat stopped what she was doing and looked to all three of the women watching her.

"I'm going to be honest. Let me say what I have to say, then react. Alright?"

The three women nodded, shocked at the way Kat was talking. Kat sighed and sat down on the stool that she was next to her.

"Honestly, I am not even close to okay-" Olivia started to say something, but Kat held up her hand to stop her. In perfect Olivia Benson fashion. Mack and Amanda struggled to hold back their laughter.

"As I was saying... I am not even close to okay, but I know that Caleb would not want me to wallow. What good does it do to shut down? How is that honoring him in any way? I have promised myself that I won't let the pain I feel take over my life, and now I am promising you all something. If I have a bad day, if the pain is just too much, or if I simply just don't want to be alone. I will come to one of you. I promise. I will be okay eventually. It still hurts, god does it hurt, but I am going to go on with my life. Jason took Caleb's presence away, but he didn't take away the memories. I will hold on to those, and that is how I will get better."

Nobody said anything after that. What did you even say to that? They were all staring at a sixteen year old girl who had endured more in the past week than anybody should in a lifetime, and she was holding it together so well. Sure, she had her breakdowns, like this morning, but those would pass.

"Now can we eat? I'm starving." Kat said, licking her lips.

The four women laughed together as they ate. They sat there all day, just talking and laughing. Kat told stories about Caleb, Mackenzie talked about how Fin was trying to recruit her into boxing lessons. He was getting restless since Kat was his sparring partner and she was still currently out of commission. Amanda talked about life back in Georgia, and both she and Mack had voiced how much they missed it, but they still liked the city more. Olivia didn't say much, she just watched her daughter laugh with the makeshift family that they had created. It was the happiest she had seen Kat in days. Every now and then, Kat would catch her staring and smile or make a funny face, earning a laugh from the older woman.

That night, the two teen girls had fallen asleep on the couch after having a lively debate about the newest conspiracy that John had introduced them to. Amanda and Olivia just watched with huge smiles on their faces.

Neither of their daughters had been the type of girls to have friends, they took after the detectives that way, but since they day the two girls met, they had been inseparable. Liv and Amanda were not the same way. Sure, they were close now, but when they had first met, Olivia hadn't made an effort to get to know the younger woman. It took a month before they had actually had a sincere conversation. Now the two didn't know what they would do without the other. They were each other's rock.

"You can take Kat's room if you want. She won't mind." Olivia said to her friend who was dozing off in the chair where she sat.

"Alright. Good night. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight."

**/**

Kat woke from a nightmare , but she hadn't woken anybody else up. She got up from her spot on the couch. Before walking away, she covered Mackenzie with a blanket.

Kat tiredly made her way to her mother's room. The older brunette was sleeping soundly on one side of the bed. Kat climbed into bed next to her mother and moved so she was pressed up against Olivia's back. Kat thought about her day, and she knew. No matter what, as long as she had the three women that were in the apartment with her, she would be okay.

**/**

**Okay, so I liked this chapter. It took away some of the sadness from the past two chapters, but still managed to be serious. I'm going to jump a couple of weeks in the next chapter, so be ready. I hope you liked it. Please review.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Heyheyhey! Chapter 12 is here! This chapter should be fun. Let me know what y'all think! Thanks guys! Enjoy!**

**/**

Two weeks had passed since the shooting, and Kat was doing well. She talked to a psychiatrist once a week, which helped. The nightmares had stopped, for how long, they didn't know. Kat had three more breakdowns. The worst on triggered by a note from Mr. Roberts saying that she was not welcome to come to the funeral.

On the day marking a week after the shooting, Kat turned to the bottle of vodka that Olivia kept in the kitchen. Kat had regretted it right away, and she definitely never wanted to see the look of disappointment on Liv's face when she came home to her daughter emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet. After a lecture about alcohol and a rather painful conversation about Olivia's mother, who had been an alcoholic, Kat vowed not to touch another bottle of alcohol until she was twenty one.

It was a beautiful Sunday morning, the morning of the NYPD softball game. This was Kat's favorite day of the year. The Manhattan SVU against Manhattan Homicide.

Olivia had tried to get Kat to back out of the game since technically her ribs were still broken. Mack and Fin had come to Kat's defense when she said she would be fine, but Amanda and Nick were on Liv's side. That made Alex the tie breaker. After a moment of contemplation, Alex had said that as long as Kat took it easy and promised to take herself out if she felt any pain, she didn't see the harm.

Kat was ready to go that morning. She wore the shirt that the squad had gotten made for this occasion specifically. It read Manhattan SVU with the NYPD shield printed under it. With the shirt she had on a pair of old jeans, her running shoes and an old Mets baseball cap. Olivia wore the same thing, only without the hat.

When the Bensons got to the diamond , they saw the rest of the squad there. They were all wearing their jerseys. Mack had her hair up in a ponytail with a bandana wrapped around her forehead, Nick had on his aviator sunglasses and a Red Sox cap. Fin was sporting a newly shaven head, and Amanda and Alex both had their blonde hair down. Alex looked extremely out of place, everyone was used to seeing her some type of suit.

"Y'all ready to kick some ass?" Mack asked as she walked up to Liv and Kat, her southern drawl making itself prominent, and giving them both a hug.

"More than you could ever know." Kat said as she looked over to the group of other detectives, one standing out in particular. Detective Jameson Parker, ever since Kat had started playing the game, Parker had made it hell. He never really liked Olivia, so he would throw digs at Kat to get under the detective's skin. Nobody understood the bond that people in SVU formed, so he didn't get that if you mess with one person on the team, you messed with them all. Parker's comments just made them want to beat the Homicide team even more. And they usually succeeded.

"Alright, let's play!" Parker yelled over, making eye contact with Kat.

"So, sex police. Bat or field first?" Parker had a cocky smirk on his face that made Kat want to punch him.

"We'll bat first." Nick spoke up.

Parker nodded and his unit made their way towards the field. Of course, Parker was the pitcher.

Amanda was the first to bat. Parker laughed.

Amanda took her stance at the plate. Parker made eye contact, trying to intimidate her, then threw the ball. Little did he knew that Amanda played softball in college. She timed the hit perfectly, sending it far into right field.

"Yeah Mom!" Mackenzie yelled. "Suck it homicide!"

The girl's outburst caused the SVU unit to laugh, especially Amanda who was now leading off of first base.

Nick was next. His first hit was foul, but his second swing got him to first, sending Amanda to second.

Now it was Olivia up to bat. Liv was deceptively athletic. Everyone knew that she could outrun most perps, but not everybody knew how physically strong she was.

"Well, look what we have here. So, Olivia, how's life?" Parker sneered.

"Mom, don't let him get in your head." Kat said, waiting to bat next.

"Throw the damn ball Parker." Olivia used the voice she used when she interrogated perps, which made Kat smile.

Parker obliged and pitched, Olivia hit the ball, it was a grounder, but it got everyone moved up a base.

Kat took a deep breath as she approached the plate. Bases loaded, no outs. Good thing Kat was their best player, or so everyone else on the team said. Kat just did well because she like seeing the look on Parker's face when he lost.

"If it isn't Baby Benson." Parker stalled by inspecting his glove.

Kat's blood boiled at the nickname.

"C'mon Ace, you got this." Fin called from the dugout.

"Yeah, Kat. Let's go!" That one came from Mackenzie.

Alex just nodded as she made eye contact with Kat. They had an unusual way of understanding each other. Kat looked back at Parker who gave her the same cocky smirk from before.

"So, Kat. How's your daddy doin'? If you ever did find out who he was."

"Shove it up your ass, Parker!" Kat was fuming.

"Katherine..." Olivia scolded from first. Nick and Amanda laughed at the teen's response.

"Yeah, girl. Listen to your mommy. After all, if she hadn't have invited that guy into her bed, you wouldn't be here today."

Kat threw the bat down on the ground and got in Parker's face.

"What the hell did you just say?!"

"Whoa, calm down. It was only a joke. " Parker held up his hands in surrender, but the look in his eyes said otherwise.

"Kat, calm down. It's fine. He doesn't know what he's talking about." Olivia said, afraid of the look of anger on Kat's face. She really didn't want to arrest her daughter for assaulting a police officer.

"Stop with the comments and throw the damn ball." Kat said as she made her way back to the plate. Taking her stance with the bat once again.

Parker sneered and pitched the ball as fast as he could. The look on his face was priceless as Kat hit the ball, sending it past the outfield and over the fence. The squad cheered as Kat jogged home. Parker was kicking the dirt on the pitcher's mound. After hugging her mom, Kat turned to Parker.

"What's wrong Parker? Oh, don't get too upset, it's just a friendly game of softball. It's not like anybody is going to judge you for getting your ass kicked by a sixteen year old girl."

"I will!" Mackenzie yelled, earning a fist bump from Kat.

The rest of the inning went on, Mack hit a double. Alex struck out. Fin hit one right to Parker, so he was out. The it came back to Amanda; She hit the ball and held first, Mackenzie took off and stole third. Nick was up. Parker threw the ball, Nick hit it and it went straight up, making it an easy catch for Parker.

"Alright, change sides." Parker's tone was filled with rage and arrogance. The rest of the homicide unit obviously wasn't enjoying the game. They were getting their asses kicked and Parker just kept throwing insults at the SVU team.

A female detective approached Parker, Kat couldn't help but eavesdrop.

"Parker, come on. Ease up. You know what's been going on. They haven't had the easiest few weeks, just let them have fun." The woman all but pleaded.

"Oh, I know exactly what happened. That's what's going to make this so fun." He said as he picked up a bat.

Kat shook the feeling that he meant more than beating them when he said '_this'_.

"Ready, Parker?" She asked, her tone softer than she expected. She pitied the man.

"Goin' soft on me Baby Benson?"

Kat shook her head and threw the ball. Parker swung, but he didn't swing as hard as everyone expected. He hit the ball just hard enough that it b-lined to Kat, hitting her right in the ribs.

Kat was on her knees, arms wrapped around her torso, forehead resting on the ground. Detectives from both units were at her side in a instant.

"Kat!" Olivia was kneeling in front of Kat, her hands on her daughter's shoulders as the young brunette writhed in pain.

"I'll call an ambulance." Amanda whipped out her phone.

"No." Kat gasped. "No, I'm okay, I just need to rest for a second."

Everyone but Liv and Kat turned to Parker. The detective hadn't noticed the shift of attention. He was standing off to the side, watching Olivia attempting to get her daughter to stand up. His arms were crossed and he had a smile on his face.

"Are you _smiling?_" Nick and Fin moved closer to him, Amanda literally had to hold onto Mack so she didn't beat the living shit out of the detective.

Parker was shaken out of his thoughts. The smile replaced by a smug look.

"Hey, people get hurt. It happens." Parker started to walk away, but the female homicide detective stepped in front of him. Fin recognized her as Anna Mason, they had worked together on cases before. She was good police, and she was _fuming_.

"Is this what you meant this morning when you said you had plans for this game?! Did you really plan this? You realize that she very well could have died, right? She can't _fucking breathe_ Parker!" Detective Mason motioned towards Kat who was still gasping for air and writhing in pain. Olivia hovering over her, whispering things that nobody could make out. Kat seemed to be nodding along with what her mother was saying. Mason continued yelling.

"What if you hit her so hard that a piece of her rib broke off and punctured her lung? 'Cause that's kinda what it looks like to me!"

All of the detectives were shocked at how much she cared about Kat.

"Please, she's fine. I just wanted to shut her up." Parker tried to push past, but Mason kneed him in the crotch and he went down.

"She was defending her mother, who you hate just because she beat you in the police academy. She's a better cop then you, get over it. Hell, I think every detective in the NYPD is better than you. Now guess what? You just admitted to trying to hurt her daughter."

"I could get that bumped up to attempted murder." Alex chimed in, even though it was an empty threat. Alex kept glancing nervously back at Kat who was trying to stand up, but failing miserably.

Mackenzie took off to where her and Amanda's things were and came back with handcuffs.

"Here mom." All of the detectives gave the young girl a proud look.

Amanda grabbed the cuffs and placed the around Parker's wrist.

"Jameson Parker, you are under arrest for the assault of Katherine Benson. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law..."

The sound of Amanda's voice was lost as she walked Parker towards the uniformed officers that sat in their car halfway down the block.

Detective Mason made her way towards Kat quickly. She knelt down by the two brunettes.

"Kat? Hi, I'm Detective Mason. You can call me Anna."

Kat nodded, obviously in pain.

"I'm going to check where the ball hit you, okay?"

Kat shook her head. Leaning over and putting her forehead back on the ground.

"Don't I'm fine. I can breathe again. I'm okay." Kat's voice was pleading, she didn't want anyone touching her injury.

"Katherine, let her help you." Olivia said, stroking Kat's head comfortingly.

"Do you have the pain meds that the doctor gave her? I assume she was given some after the attack."

"Yeah." Olivia nodded. "Mack, can you run over and get my bag?"

Before Liv could even finish the question, Mackenzie had taken off. She was back within seconds. The kid was fast.

Liv took her bag and pulled out a bottle of water and a pain pill.

"Kat, can you straighten out for a second?" Anna asked and Kat complied reluctantly. Letting out a hiss of pain as she straightened out her torso.

When Kat reached out for the water and pill, she exposed to scars on her arms. Anna tried to suppress the gasp that came from her mouth, but was too late.

Kat looked her in the eyes, she wasn't angry, Anna couldn't really tell what the girl was feeling.

"They aren't as bad as they look." The teen assured her.

Anna nodded and placed her hands on both sides of Kat's torso. Looking to Kat for approval. Kat just nodded and braced herself for the pain, but she felt nothing. Detective Mason just let out a sigh of relief.

"Nothing was rebroken. You'll just be sore for a few days. Can you stand?"

"Yeah, but not by myself."

Anna took one of the girl's arms and placed it around her shoulders, then she looked up to Olivia who was watching them nervously.

"Detective, mind giving us hand?"

Olivia nodded and did the same that Mason had done.

"Ready?" Mason looked to Kat, who nodded, then to Olivia, who did the same.

The two women hoisted Kat to her feet. Once she felt like she was steady, Kat let go of the two women. She could move, slowly, but the pain killers had started working, so she could move on her own.

"How did you know what to do?" Amanda asked Detective Mason, her face full of amazement and curiosity.

"I was an ER doctor for five years before I became a cop." Mason said modestly.

"Well thank you, I probably would have rushed her to the hospital only to have them tell me to give her a pain killer." Olivia chuckled even though it wasn't a joke.

"It was no problem. I'm sorry about Parker, he's an ass."

"He can rot in hell." Mackenzie said. She had moved to Kat's side.

"Mackenzie!" Amanda scolded.

"Oh please, mom. I saw the look in your eyes the minute you saw the smile on his face. If looks could kill, hell is exactly where he would be right now."

Everyone laughed, even Kat. It was just Detective Mason and the SVU team left. The rest of the homicide detectives had left. They didn't want to stick around after what Parker did.

"Well, I should go. Have a nice day. Kat, ice that when you get home, thirty minutes every four hours for the next two days."

Olivia put her hand on the detective's shoulder as she started to walk away.

"We were going to get something to eat, why don't you come with us?" Olivia's offer was sincere. All of the detectives were grateful for what she had done for Kat.

"That sounds pretty great actually. I'd love to."

**/**

**So this chapter was fun to write. I hope you guys liked it! Please review! Thanks!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13! Thank you all for your support! I didn't think that my first fanfic would do this well! I keep trying to think of things to write about so this story can go on. The trial is coming up very soon! Enjoy guys!**

**/**

Kat woke to a knock on her bedroom door. She sat up in bed, a dull, yet painful ache in her ribs where the softball had hit her two days prior.

"Yeah?" Kat asked, still sitting on her bed.

Olivia stuck her head in the room and smiled at her daughter, earning one in response.

"There's someone here to see you." Olivia's voice was off.

"It's seven o'clock in the morning, who would be here to see me?"

"Just come out here." Olivia motioned for Kat to follow her.

Kat groaned and got off of her bed, when she got into the main part of the apartment, she had quite the welcome.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone yelled.

Kat jumped at the yelling, causing pain to shoot through her body, but she ignored it. After all that has happened, Kat completely forgot the today was her seventeenth birthday.

"Happy birthday baby girl!" Olivia wore a proud smile on her face.

Kat let out a surprised laugh as she looked around. Her whole family was there. Mack, Amanda, Fin, Nick, Cragen, Munch, and Alex. One face stood out, Kat recognized her right away. She wore a designer suit, her shoulder length red hair complimenting her green eyes perfectly.

"No! Casey?!" Kat ran over to the former ADA and brought her into a crushing hug.

"Kat. Air." Casey gasped. Kat let go.

"Sorry. I just. Oh my god! You're here!" Kat looked around.

"You're all here... This is perfect!" Kat practically jumped for joy. Tears forming in her eyes, she blinked them away.

"Well, we're glad you like it, Ace." Fin came over a wrapped her in a bear hug. Now she knew how Casey felt.

Everybody stood around and talked for an hour. At 9, Nick and Fin had to go to work. Amanda, Olivia, and Alex had taken the day off so they could make a day out of the occasion.

Olivia cleared her throat to speak, everybody stopped talking and looked at her.

"Seventeen years ago, the most beautiful little girl entered my world." Olivia already had tears forming in her eyes.

"That little girl has grown up to be a smart, funny, strong, gorgeous young woman, of whom I couldn't be more proud. You have been through hell and back and yet you don't seem to amaze me, all of us really, with your unparalleled wisdom and courage. You, Katherine Benson are all I could have asked for and so much more. These past seventeen years have been the best of my life, and I can only imagine what the next seventeen will be like. I love you. We all do."

Kat looked around with tears in her eyes as all of the people in the room nodded in agreement with Olivia. Everyone was crying by the end of Olivia's speech, even Munch.

"Now, we know that you aren't one for gifts, but we all sat down a few days ago and agreed that there is something that you deserve."

Olivia tossed something to Kat. When Kat realized what it was, she gasped. In her hands were the keys to the Mustang that sat in the parking garage. Olivia had her mother's sedan that she drove, so the Mustang just sat there, never being used.

"Mom, I can't. It's a classic." Kat stuttered in complete awe.

"You have had your license for a year now, and you haven't said one word about getting a car. You earned it."

Kat let out a high pitched squeal and ran over to her mother, giving her a bear hug.

"Thank you!"

"You're very welcome."

The rest of the morning went off without a hitch. All of the guys left at 9, so now it was just Amanda, Mackenzie, Liv, Casey, Alex, and Kat.

"So, what do y'all have planned?" Mackenzie asked. Nobody had told her anything about today, afraid that she would tell Kat.

"What makes you think we have plans?" Olivia asked, and innocent look on her face.

"Uh, because Aunt Liv, we know you. You always have some major plan for Kat's birthday."

All of the women laughed, causing Kat and Mackenzie to become somewhat annoyed.

"What do you think Liv? Should we tell them?" Casey asked, a smirk on her face.

Kat and Mack started nodding their heads vigorously.

"We could..." Olivia replied, mimicking Casey's smirk.

"You should!" Mackenzie blurted.

"To tell you the truth, I have absolutely nothing planned for the day."

Kat choked on her coffee.

"Huh? Since when do you not have anything planned?"

"Since I realized that you should be able to decide what we do on your birthday. It shouldn't be up to me."

Kat smiled at her mother.

"So, kid. What will we be doing on this beautiful day?" Alex asked, intrigued.

Kat's eyes lit up and she ran to her bedroom. After a couple of minutes, she emerged from her room. She was back in her pajamas. She held four pairs of sweatpants and threw one pair to Amanda, Mack, Casey, and Alex. Amanda, Mackenzie, and Liv all got the message and they ran off to go get changed. Alex and Casey just looked at Kat with confused looks on their faces.

"Come one counselors, go get changed." Kat smiled at them.

The two women went to change as Liv, Mack, and Amanda came out in sweatpants and tank tops. After all of the women were in their comfortable clothes, they all stood in the kitchen.

"So now what?" Mackenzie asked.

Kat thought for a second, then she disappeared into her room again. She came out with a stack of DVDs. She looked at all of them with a scarily serious look on her face.

"We have a very important goal to accomplish today ladies." She started to pace in front of them. "Now I'm warning you, this will take some major commitment. You will laugh, cry, probably even throw things, for this mission is something that only the strong can accomplish. Are you ready?"

All of the women nodded. Their faces completely serious, yet they were all laughing their asses off on the inside. Kat held up the DVDs.

"We are going to watch as many episodes of _Sex and the City_ as we can in the next 24 hours."

All of the women made a mad dash for the living room. Liv and Amanda each took one end of the couch. Casey took the chair by the window. Mack positioned herself between on the floor between Amanda's legs. Alex laid on her stomach on the floor, and Kat laid down on the couch with her head on Olivia's lap and her feet in Amanda's .

Kat was right. They laughed, they cried, Mack even threw a pillow at the TV when Big and Carrie broke up for the hundredth time.

By 10 P.M., everyone but Kat had fallen asleep. Kat was thinking about how perfect her day was when there was a quiet knock at the door. Kat flinched when Olivia stirred as she got up. Luckily, the older brunette didn't wake. Kat made her way to the door, her breath caught in her throat when she looked through the peep hole and saw who it was.

She slowly opened the door and her brown eyes met the dark blue ones of the man who she thought of as her father. The man that was always there for her and her mother up until two years ago. The man who left without saying as little as goodbye.

"Happy birthday Kat..."

Elliot gave her a small smile, the same smile he gave her every day when she came to the precinct after school as she grew up. The smile that she always looked forward to. Now that smile made her blood boil.

Elliot had left them without saying as much as a goodbye and Kat hated him for it, and she hated herself for hating him. She mainly hated him for what he did to Olivia, her heart was shattered when he left. They had been partners for thirteen years and he just left!

Before Kat knew what was happening, she felt her hand come in contact with his face. He was taken aback by the fact that she slapped him. When he looked back at her, he saw the hurt in her eyes.

"I guess I deserved that." He said.

"Damn right you did. Now come here." Kat pulled him into the apartment and gave him a hug. Another thing he hadn't expected.

Elliot pulled away from the hug and looked at the girl standing in front of her. Last time he saw her, she was four inches shorter and a hell of a lot less broken looking. His eyes made their way to the scars littering her arms and chest. He had seen the news about the attack and shooting on TV, but he didn't know that it had been that bad. This was the girl that he loved like his own daughter. He helped raise her, and he couldn't help but tear up at the sight in front of him. Leaving Kat and Olivia was the hardest thing he had ever had to do.

"You can't be here!" Kat whispered with urgency.

"If mom sees you-" She was cut off by the sound of her mother's voice.

"Kat? Kat who are you talking to?" Olivia stopped in her tracks at the sight in front of her. Her partner of 13 years was standing in her kitchen with her daughter.

Olivia didn't know how to react, so she said the only word she could think of.

"Elliot..."

**/ **

**Ba Bam! Elliot is back! I have been wanting to bring him back, but I didn't know how I would do it. I figured this was the best way. Please review! Tell me what you think!**


	14. Chapter 14

**So Elliot is back! I don't know if it is permanent or not yet! Thank you all for your support! Don't forget to review! I own nothing, all characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC.**

**/**

Olivia always thought that when this moment came, she would be angry, but all she felt was shock and joy. Elliot was back, her best friend was back. Why? She didn't care at the moment.

All of the women from the party had left. As a very curious Mackenzie was being dragged out of the apartment by a very annoyed and embarrassed Amanda, she gave Kat a look that said '_call me and tell me what happens or I will kill you'_.

"El... you're here." Olivia made her way to Elliot and pulled him into a hug.

"You're not gonna slap me, are you?" Elliot asked chuckling.

"No, why would I-" Olivia stopped talking and looked at Kat who just had a proud smile on her face.

"You slapped him?" Liv wasn't at all surprised, just a little disappointed.

"He deserved it!" Kat defended herself. Her anger at Elliot had made its way back to the surface.

"She hugged me afterwards, though." Elliot added.

Kat turned to him and put her hands on her hips, she gave him the harshest look she could muster.

"A lapse in judgment."

"Katherine!" Liv scolded.

"No, mom! This isn't fair!" Kat moved her eyes from her mother back to Elliot.

"You don't get to do this! You can't just leave for two years and come back expecting me not to be mad! Do you know what it's like to have someone you love just leave?! I needed you! I needed a father!"

Tears had started spilling from Kat's eyes and she wiped them away angrily. Elliot reached out for her arm, but she backed away.

"Don't touch me! You don't get to touch me! If you had been here, you would know that pretty much nobody gets to touch me anymore, but you weren't."

"I know Kat, and I'm so sorry for everything that has happened." Elliot's was choked up at the pain in Kat's eyes.

"Bullshit! You don't know the half of it!"

Kat stormed into her room and shut the door. Two minutes later, she came out fully dressed with her new car keys in her hand.

"Where are you going?" Olivia asked, she had been quiet through most of the argument. She agreed with what Kat was saying, but she still couldn't bring herself to be mad at Elliot.

"Anywhere but here."

"Kat, it's late. You stay, I'll go. This was a bad idea, if I let you go, I'll just worry." Elliot started to leave, but Kat held up her hand to stop him.

"No, I'm leaving because _I_ will come back. Besides, I'm not yours to worry about. I'm not your kid... I never was."

The last part got Elliot to stop. What Kat had said broke his heart, and she knew it. Now he knew how she felt two years ago when Olivia came home and told her that he had left.

Kat held her eyes on Elliot for a moment longer, then left. She made her way down to her car. Once she was in it, she broke down. Tears spilling from her eyes, and they weren't going to stop any time soon. She took a few deep breaths, put the key in the ignition, and drove off.

**/**

Elliot stared at the door after Kat stormed off.

"She'll be back. She just needs some time, she has been doing this lately. With the PTSD and seeing you, it just threw her over the edge." Olivia said, coming up behind Elliot and putting her hand on his arm.

"Last time I saw her she was boxing with Fin. So strong, made of stone. Now she's..." Elliot's voice trailed off and Liv had to finish the sentence for him.

"Broken. I know. She's getting better. The pieces are slowly being put back together. I think after she testifies at Jason Larkin's trial next week and the bastard goes to jail, she'll be able to let go."

"There's a trial? He committed the crime right in front of you, didn't he take a plea bargain?"

Olivia ran her hand through her hair and sighed.

"He took one for the murder, but his lawyer is fighting the assault charge, it'll be an easy trial. Once they see her injuries. Alex will get his ass thrown in a cell so fast he won't even know what hit him."

Elliot sighed and turned to Olivia. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"Are _you_ okay?" He asked.

Olivia started to nod, but she ended up shaking her head. For the first time since all of this happened, she broke down.

Elliot pulled her into his arms and held her as she cried.

"Shhhh, it's okay. Like you said, she's getting better." Elliot whispered in her ear.

"It's so hard seeing her like this. El, she's my daughter and I couldn't help her in time."

"Hey, she's alive isn't she? She's here. It's okay."

Olivia pulled away from the hug. She looked at Elliot and he cupped her face in his hands, wiping the tears away off of her face. He held her for another hour before deciding he should go before Kat comes back.

"I'll be back, I promise. Meet for coffee? Tomorrow, noon?" Elliot asked as he stood in the doorway about to leave.

"Yeah, I'll drop Kat off at therapy and meet you at our old place."

Olivia gave him one more hug before he left, shutting the door behind him.

Olivia had to go find Kat, and she knew exactly where she would have gone.

**/**

Kat sat in the Ramble, knees tucked up to her chest. She didn't know that this is where she wanted to go until she got there. The Ramble had always been a place where she could think. It was quiet, somewhat secluded; perfect.

There was somebody there, Kat could tell. She sensed someone come up beside her and sit down. She didn't have to look over to know who it was.

"What are you doing here?" Kat asked, her voice wasn't harsh, just...unsure.

"I figured you needed me, you haven't been here since..."

"Since I almost died. No scratch that-technically, I did die."

Kat looked over to see a pained look on her mother's face. Even though it was dark, she could see the lines of worry that she wore.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to say that."

Olivia grabbed her daughter's hand.

"I know. You've had a rough day. I understand. So does Elliot."

"Does he? I shouldn't have been such a bitch to him... I know that shooting that girl probably ruined him."

Olivia sighed and ran her hand through her hair like she did whenever she was unsure or stressed out.

"Is he my father?" Kat asked quickly. Not even she had expected the question to come out of her mouth.

Olivia chuckled nervously.

" Contrary to what everyone thought. No, Elliot Stabler is not your father."

"Okay."

Olivia turned to her daughter, confused and slightly shocked.

"Okay? That's all you have to say? You're not gonna ask me any more questions about your father?"

Kat laughed and gave Liv a smile.

"Why would I? I've got all the family I need. I just have two questions."

"Give 'em to me."

"Did he choose to leave after you told him you were pregnant?"

Olivia gave a sad nod.

"Did you love him?"

Olivia thought about the question for a minute, then answered.

"I loved the _idea _of him. What I didn't love was the fact that he decided to tell me about his wife _after _I told him I was pregnant."

"Asshole..." Was all that Kat said, then something hit her.

"Do you think he had kids with his wife?" Kat asked.

" No, he made it very clear that he was _never_ having children the second I met him. Hence, him skipping out when I told him about you."

"Well, I don't need him. I've got a family. I don't want a jerk like that in my life anyway. We really know how to pick 'em, don't we." Kat added the last part with a sad laugh.

"Oh, kid. That's the Benson curse. Trust me, it'll get worse." Olivia nudged the young brunette and winked, earning a laugh from Kat.

Kat sighed and moved closer the Liv.

"You okay?" Liv asked, wrapping her arm around her daughter's shoulders.

"Surprisingly... yeah, I am. I had a little flashback when I first got here." Olivia gave her daughter a worried look.

"It wasn't that bad mom, it's okay. It was just when you found me. The worst part was the look on your face. That look was what made me fight to stay alive. I seriously considered letting go, but when I saw you... I knew that I couldn't leave you."

The two women sat in silence for a while. After they both agreed that the ground was very uncomfortable, they got up and drove home.

**/**

**So there's chapter 14! I hope y'all liked it!**


	15. Chapter 15

** So I think that after I finish this story I am just going to keep adding on to this one instead of creating a whole new story. How does that sound? It would still be the same characters and such, just like a continuation of their lives. Tell me what you think! Here's 15, enjoy!**

**/**

Kat stood in front of the mirror in her room. She was dressed in black slacks and a feminine navy button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her hair fell just below her shoulders, instead of curling it, she kept it in its naturally wavy state. In less than two hours, Kat would have to face Jason and tell an entire room of people what he had done to her.

Kat was shaken from her thoughts by a knock at the door.

"Uh, come in." Kat tried to hide the quiver in her voice, but failed.

"You ready to go?" Olivia asked as she came up behind her daughter and placed her hands on the young girl's arms.

"Physically, yes."

"Emotionally?"

Kat turned to Olivia and sighed.

"No. I never will be, so what does it matter?"

"It matters more than you think." Olivia pulled her daughter into a hug.

Kat pulled away from the hug and Olivia placed a kiss on her forehead.

"C'mon, let's go." Olivia ushered her daughter out of the apartment.

**/**

"You okay?" Elliot was sitting on Kat's left, he had his hand on her knee to keep her from bouncing it incessantly, both Kat and Olivia did it when they were nervous.

"I think so..." Kat replied, unsure.

Everyone had shown up for the trial, they all had reassuring looks on their faces.

"You'll be okay. We'll all be in there, and you've got Alex up there with you." Olivia had kneeled down in front of Kat. Looking her in the eyes.

"Katherine Benson?" The court officer called, motioning for her to follow him.

Kat stood up, straightened her clothes, took a deep breath, and made her way towards the stand. She turned around to see her family settling into their seats.

Kat was sworn in once she reached the stand. Alex was the first to ask the questions. Kat did what everyone had told her to do acted like she and Alex were just having a normal conversation.

Alex got up from where she sat and started walking towards the stand.

"Katherine, can you tell me what you did on the day of the attack?"

"Well, I got up at seven like I do every morning. I went for a run, about six miles. Then I got home, took a shower and just hung out. I spent the day alone, my mother was at work, and my best friend decided to take all day to get ready for the concert that we had tickets to at 7. Mackenzie, my best friend showed up at my apartment at six. We went to the concert, afterwards I walked her home and took a cab back to where I live..." Kat's voice trailed off.

"Katherine? Can you tell me what happened after you fell asleep?" Alex looked at Kat with a concerned look on her face.

"Uh, I woke up to someone knocking on the door. I thought it was my boyfriend making sure that I made it home alright, but when I opened the door, Jason Larkin was there instead."

"Let the record state that Katherine Benson has a restraining order against the defendant, Mr. Larkin." Alex said as she looked back to her file.

"Katherine, did you welcome Mr. Larkin into the apartment?"

"No, he forced his way in. "

"Then what happened?"

"Mr. Larkin beat me until I stopped fighting back. He placed duct tape over my mouth and lit a cigarette. I thought he was going to smoke it, but he- he held the lit end to my wrist. He then proceeded to knock me out by smashing my head on the floor."

"Okay, Katherine..."

While Alex asked her next question, Kat looked over to Jason. He was just sitting there, staring at her. Kat's heart started to race and her head started pounding. Everything faded as she slipped in a flashback.

_**/**_

_Kat's eyes fluttered open, her entire body was burning with pain._

_"Welcome back, Kittie Kat.' Jason grabbed Kat by the hair and forced her to look at him. _

_He ran a knife along_ her cheek. _When she moved her face away, the knife fell to her collarbone and Jason's eyes lit up in a sick and sinister way._

_"Great idea, Kat."_

_Jason took the knife and dug it into Kat's skin, leaving a deep, six inch cut on her chest. Kat tried to scream, but Jason shut her up with a slap across the face._

_**/**_

Kat was shaken from her flashback by a hand on her arm. She jumped away from the hand, almost falling out of her seat.

"Katherine, are you okay?" Alex was looking from Olivia, back to Kat.

Olivia was about ready to jump out of her seat and rush to her daughter's side. She knew that Kat was reliving the attack.

"What? I'm sorry, what was the question?" Kat ran her right hand through her hair.

"I asked you if you remember anything else from the attack."

"Um, I remember waking up a couple of times during the attack. Mr. Larkin would cut me or burn me a few times before knocking me out again. Usually with another beating, sometimes I passed out from blood loss. The last thing I remember is being found in Central Park."

"Thank you, Katherine. No further questions your honor."

Alex gave Kat a quick smile and returned to her desk.

Trevor Langan stood up and made his way to Kat.

"Ms. Benson, I would like to start off by saying that I am very sorry about what happened."

"Thank you..." Kat faked a grateful smile.

She looked to Mack who was shaking her head, she looked like she was about ready to bash someone's skull in.

"Ms. Benson, you and my client were in a relationship prior to you attack, correct?"

"Yes, an abusive one." Kat narrowed her eyes at Langan.

Langan nodded at her response.

"Had you and my client been...intimate prior to the attack?"

"Objection!" Alex yelled. "Relevance?"

"The question goes to the nature if the crime, your honor."

"I'll allow it. Please answer the question Ms. Benson."

Kat sighed.

"No, we had never been intimate."

Langan turned to Kat, he was a little too close for her liking.

"Does your mother's occupation have any impact on your personal life Ms. Benson?"

"No, it does not." Nobody knew where he was going with this.

"Are you sure that it doesn't spark a _curiosity_ that my client was so kind to relieve?"

"Excuse me?" Kat scoffed.

"Answer the question Ms. Benson." Langan said forcefully. He was really starting to upset Kat, which is exactly what he was trying to do.

"My mother's job does not have any impact on my relationships. It does not spark any _'curiosity'_ and it sure as hell doesn't compel me to allow someone to nearly beat me to death and leave me to die in a park!"

"Ms. Benson, if you don't calm down, I will be forced to hold you in contempt." The judge scolded.

Kat recognized the judge, they had talked a few times, she was actually a rather nice woman.

"My apologies, your honor." Kat nodded.

"Ms. Benson, can you tell me what was going through your mind as you were being attacked?"

"I was thinking about my family, I kept telling myself that as long as Jason was hurting me, he couldn't be hurting them..."

"So you were grateful that you were being attacked."

"What? No. That's not what I said."

"Isn't it?"

"I had every reason to believe that Mr. Larkin would go after my family to get to me, so in a way, I was relieved that it was me he was hurting instead of them."

"I see... is it true that you stopped fighting your attacker?"

"Yes."

"And why is that?"

"I had lost a lot of blood, I was seriously injured. I had no energy to fight back."

"I find that hard to believe."

Kat moved uncomfortably in her chair. '_Where the hell is he taking this? What does he want from me?"_

"Ms. Benson, is it true that Detectives Tutuola and Amaro have been training you in self defense."

"Yes."

"And did you not say that the morning of you attack you ran a total of six miles?"

"Yes, I did say that."

"So you are in exceptional physical shape and you are trained in self defense. So I will ask you again. Why did you stop fighting your attacker?"

"I told you, I had multiple broken bones and I had lost a large amount of blood. I wasn't able to fight back."

"Are you sure there isn't another reason?" Langan raised his eyebrows in question.

"Objection your honor, where is this going?"

"Answer the question Ms. Benson." Langan was staring at Kat, ignoring Alex's objection.

"Mr. Langan, stop badgering the witness."

"Answer the question Ms. Benson!"

Langan's tone was no longer professional, it was angry.

"I told you."

"You're lying! There has to be another reason!"

"Your Honor! He can't treat her like this! He is being completely unprofessional!" Alex was standing up now.

"I agree Ms. Cabot. Mr. Langan, control yourself and stop screaming at the poor girl!"

"Please, stop." Kat's voice was pleading, Langan smiled.

"After you tell me the truth."

"I did! I told you the truth!"

"Your Honor, Mr. Langan is obviously fishing for a mistrial!" Alex had approached the bench.

Through all of this, Langan had not broken eye contact with Kat. Olivia just watched at the way he was screaming at her daughter in horror and anger.

"Mr. Langan! I will have you removed from this courtroom!"

"Answer the question Ms. Benson!"

"FINE!" Kat had stood up from her chair, causing Langan to take a step back.

"YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I STOPPED FIGHTING?! I STOPPED BECAUSE I WANTED THE SON OF A BITCH TO KILL ME! I THOUGHT THAT IF HE GOT BORED HE WOULD END IT! I JUST WANTED HIM TO END IT!"

Kat's eyes widened after she realized what had just happened. Everyone looked at her in shock, even the judge. Jason just laughed.

"You dumb bitch!" Everyone turned to Jason, he just sat there, laughing.

"Bailiff, remove the defendant from the courtroom. We will have a thirty minute recess."

"Nah, your honor. I wanna change my plea." Jason held up his hands.

"Larkin, shut up." Langan turned to him.

"All I wanted was to ruin her life, I've obviously done that. I did it. I plead guilty."

Kat just sat there, staring at her family. They were all staring at her in horror.

"Alright, Jason Larkin, you will be remanded to Rikers until sentencing. I thank the jury for their time. You are dismissed." The judge hit her gavel on the bench.

Kat got up and ran out of the courtroom.

"Kat! Wait!" Olivia ran after her daughter.

She followed her into the bathroom. When she opened the door, she saw Kat sitting against the wall, sobbing. Olivia walked over to her and wrapped Kat in her arms.

"I'm sorry mom. I'm so sorry." Kat turned so her face was buried in Olivia's neck, Liv stroked the back of her head.

"Oh baby, it's okay. We don't blame you. You're okay. You're safe now."

Amanda, Mack, and Alex came bursting through the door. They all knelt down by Kat, Amanda put her hand on Kat's back and made circle motions. Mack made a comment about how she hopes Jason gets a shiv buried in his face, earning a glare from Amanda and a laugh from Kat. Alex just told Kat how great she had done.

After Kat had stopped crying, they walked out of the bathroom to find Nick, Fin, Cragen, and Munch standing outside the door.

"Where's Elliot?" Kat asked.

Cragen gave her a sad look and handed her a note. She unfolded it and read it as Olivia read over her shoulder.

_Kat and Liv, _

_ Seeing you two again was the greatest thing that has happened to me in years, but it also reminded me why I left. You both are so strong and I only bring you down. I thought I could do this, but it turns out that I couldn't. I broke both of your hearts two years ago, and if I stay, it will only happen again. No matter what, I will always love you both. I understand if you hate me now. I would if I was in your position. Kat, I am so proud of you. Olivia, you raised a wonderful young woman, don't let what I have done change you in any way. I am so sorry. _

_ Love, _

_ Elliot_

"He left again...this time for good." Olivia said, tears running down her face.

Kat crumpled to note in her hand and shoved it in her pocket.

"I knew it was too good to be true."

She turned to Olivia and gave her a hug.

"We don't need him. We've already got a family."

"Yeah, you're right. We've done pretty well without him so far."

"Can we go home?" Kat asked, exhaustion showing on her face.

"Absolutely."

Olivia grabbed her daughter's hand and they made their way to the car. Sure, Elliot leaving had hurt, but they still had each other, and Jason was going to spend the rest of his life in prison. They were both safe for now, and that's all that matters.

**/ **

**Okay, so I had Elliot leave. Don't be too mad. I am going to keep adding to this story, so stay tuned! Please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**So here is chapter 16! It's almost like a sequel, but I'm just going to keep adding to this story. Enjoy!**

**/**

Kat sat in her mother's desk chair, music blaring from her ear buds. She was using two pencils as drumsticks and drumming along to the song. When she looked through the window, she saw Mackenzie walking into the squad room. Kat paused her music and exited Olivia's office.

"Hey Georgia!" Kat yelled, smirking.

"Hey, city slicker." Mackenzie replied, rolling her eyes.

Mack looked around the quad room, none of the detectives were there.

"Where is everybody?" She asked, motioning to the empty room.

"Mom and Amanda went to pick up a suspect, Fin is sick, and Nick is in the cribs. He stayed here all night last night."

"Hmmmm..." Mackenzie nodded her head, a mischievous look on her face.

"Whatever you are thinking about doing, don't do it." Kat warned, completely serious.

"Who says I was thinking about doing anything?"

"The look on your face did."

Mack held up her hands in defeat.

"I was just going to say that we could raid our moms' desk drawers for chocolate, but whatever.

Kat's face lit up.

"Katherine Benson, are you actually thinking about stealing chocolate from your own_ mother?_" Mack mocked.

"I am if you are."

Mackenzie immediately started going through Amanda's desk drawers and Kat ran back into Olivia's office.

"Score!" Mackenzie yelled as she pulled two almond Hershey bars from the bottom drawer of Amanda's desk.

"I got nothin'!" Kat yelled from the office.

"It's good, I got two in my mom's desk."

Kat laughed as she walked into the squad room. She plucked one of the chocolate bars from Mackenzie's hand and sat in Fin's desk chair. Spinning around slowly.

Mackenzie noticed Kat hide the chocolate bar quickly as Amanda and Olivia dragged a suspect down the hallway towards the squad room and quickly followed suit.

"Detectives." Mackenzie nodded as they walked into the squad room, earning a nod and a discrete smile from Amanda.

Kat just followed them with her eyes. The suspect was probably about forty. He wore a nice suit and his hair was combed perfectly. Before Kat could realize that she was staring, the man looked up and stopped. Liv stopped with him and followed his gaze.

The man was staring directly at Kat, that's all he was doing, just staring. Kat quickly looked down at her feet and Olivia pushed him to keep walking, but he wouldn't budge. He was still staring.

"Hey buddy." Mackenzie said, grabbing his attention, then she continued.

"You got a problem with my friend here?" Mackenzie motioned to Kat who was still staring at her feet.

"Let's go." Olivia said forcefully as she pulled the man towards the interrogation room.

"Who was that girl?" The man asked.

"Nobody that you need to worry about." Olivia said, setting him down in the chair.

Amanda followed them into the room and shut the door. She sat down across from the suspect while Olivia leaned up against the wall.

"So, Mr. Wheeler. Where were you on Tuesday night?" Amanda asked.

"Is she a detective? She's quite young." Was all he said.

"Who?" Amanda raised her eyebrows in question.

"That girl. She's too young to be a detective."

Amanda opened her mouth to say something, but Olivia cut her off.

"We are not here to talk about her. We are here to talk about the fact that you raped Karen Carter." Olivia was looking him directly in the eyes now.

"She's your daughter, isn't she." It wasn't a question.

Olivia ignored the statement.

"Tuesday night, where were you?" Olivia continued.

"What is her name?" Wheeler asked, looking at the two detectives.

Olivia slammed her hands down on the table.

"Stop. Asking. About. Her. We are here about Karen Carter."

"I don't know who that is." Finally, he was answering their questions.

"Bullshit. You stalked her for two weeks and then raped her in an alley." Amanda jumped in.

"No, I didn't." Wheeler looked up at Olivia.

"I'm not going to speak to you anymore. I want to speak to the girl."

"That's not going to happen." Olivia narrowed her eyes at him. What did he want with Kat?

"Get me the girl, or get me my lawyer."

Olivia nodded her head in frustration. Amanda got up from where she sat, and the two detectives left the interrogation room.

"Where's Kat?" Olivia asked Mackenzie as she and Amanda re-entered the squad room.

"That guy creeped her out, she went down to the gym. I think she needed to hit something." Mackenzie answered, then she looked up at the two detectives.

"What was that about anyway?"

"We don't know, but he kept asking about her in interrogation. He said he talks to Kat, or he calls his lawyer." Amanda told her daughter.

"Are you gonna send her in there?" Mackenzie raised her eyebrow in question.

"Absolutely not." Olivia answered quickly.

"If Kat knew what was going on, she'd go in." Amanda said, almost afraid to look up at Liv.

"I am not putting my daughter in a room alone with a rapist!"

"What did I miss?" Kat came back into the squad room, she was wearing workout clothes and she was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

"The creep wants to speak to you." Mackenzie said, earning a glare from Amanda and Olivia.

"Okay, let's do it." Kat didn't even hesitate.

"No." Olivia said.

"Mom, it'll be fine. Whatever he says can still be used in court."

"You think _that's_ what I'm worried about?!" Olivia was almost hurt at the inquisition.

"That man is a rapist, I am _not_ letting you go into a room with him." Olivia's voice was filled with unease.

"You'll be right on the other side of the door. If anything goes wrong, you can come barging in and kick his ass." Kat nodded.

"Liv, I think you should let her try. It's the only way we're going to get him to talk." Amanda moved away from Mack's side and closer to the two Bensons.

"Yeah. Aunt Liv, it'll be okay. Besides, if he tries to do anything, Kat will drop him in a second. You've seen the way she fights." Mackenzie added, earning a proud smile from Kat and an unsure chuckle from Olivia.

Olivia looked at Kat and thought for a moment before speaking.

"Alright, but if _anything _goes wrong or if you feel even the slightest bit unsafe, I want you out of there. I get freedom to pull you out whenever I want. You haven't completely gotten over your PTSD and I want to make sure you don't have any setbacks. Deal?"

"Deal." Kat agreed.

**/**

Kat stood in front of the door to the interrogation room. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her hands were shaking.

"You don't have to do this." Olivia was standing next to Kat, her eyes narrowed at the man sitting in the interrogation room.

"Yes, I do." Kat opened the door and went into the room.

"Hello." The man greeted her. He had a smile on his face.

"Hello Mr. Wheeler." Kat said as she sat down, not looking at him.

"Please, call me David."

"Alright, David it is then."

"Are you going to tell me your name?"

Kat looked up at him, suppressing a shudder. She never thought she would be in a room with a rapist.

"My name is Katherine."

David smiled.

"Katherine. Latin origin, means 'pure'"

"Good to know." Kat said with a small smile.

"I am surprised that the two detectives let me speak to you."

"They weren't going to. I had to convince them."

Kat was surprised at the way David's face lit up at what she had said.

"You _want_ to talk to me?"

"I am curious as to why you wanted to talk to me." Kat admitted. "So tell me, why?"

"Because the minute I saw you, I knew."

Kat instinctively got up and moved towards the one-way-mirror, knowing that her mother was on the other side.

"Knew what?"

David got up too and moved a little closer.

"That you have been hurt." David looked to Kat's wrist, then to her collarbone.

The scars from her attack were visible. The attack was nearly six months ago. Kat had moved on...but something about this man brought back memories that she had worked so hard to forget.

The man started moving closer, and Kat backed away. She started sweating, her stomach was churning, and her knees were dangerously close to collapsing.

**/**

Olivia was watching the whole thing with Amanda and Mackenzie.

"I'm pulling her out." Olivia started to move towards the door, but what Mr. Wheeler said next stopped her.

**/**

"Let me help you, like I did that other woman." Wheeler was reaching out to Kat with his cuffed hands.

"What do you mean?" Kat managed to ask.

"I helped Karen, she was just like you. She needed my help, so I did what any decent man would do. I helped her move on."

**/**

Olivia watched in horror as Wheeler quickly grabbed one of the chairs in the room and wedged it under the door knob. Why hadn't Kat stopped him, that's when she realized that Kat's mind wasn't in the room. Kat had her eyes closed as Wheeler moved closer to her. Her daughter's mind was back in the apartment with Jason.

The room had started spinning, and Kat stood there, frozen as Wheeler made his way to her. He reached out and moved a piece of hair out of Kat's face. He then ran his fingers along the scar on Kat's collarbone.

Kat could hear the sound of Jason's laugh as he watched her writhe in pain. She could feel his feet and fists coming in contact with her body. She could even feel the knife being dragged along her skin.

Kat was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of her mother and Amanda yelling and banging on the door. A chair was wedged under the doorknob, locking out the detectives. When did Wheeler do that? Had Kat spaced out?

Wheeler had his hands on Kat's arm, tracing her scars. Kat snapped back to reality and kneed Wheeler in the crotch. He went down to his knees.

Kat just stood there, her breathing frantic, her heart pounding.

"Kat! Kat, baby. Open the door! It's okay! Just open the door!" Olivia yelled as she tried to break down the door.

Kat shakily made her way to the door and moved the chair.

Olivia made it into the room just in time to catch her daughter as Kat's world went black.

**/**

**I'm kinda brutal. Kat just can't catch a break! I hope this chapter wasn't disappointing. Please review! Thanks Guys!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey! I don't have much to say other than thanks again for all of the support! Okay, enjoy chapter 17! I own nothing, everything belongs to Dick Wolf and NBC!**

**/**

Kat woke slowly, she rolled over so her face was covered with the pillow and groaned. Wait. Pillow? Why was she in a bed? When did she go to sleep? Kat opened her eyes and shot up.

"Hey, take it easy." Kat felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, pulling her back down onto the bed.

The touch scared her and she shot to her feet. She sighed a sigh of relief when she saw Olivia sitting on the bed that she had woken up from. Kat looked around and saw that she was in the cribs at the precinct.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Olivia said, looking down at her hands . She was having a hard time making eye contact with Kat.

"No, it's okay." Kat ran her hand through her hair and let out a long breath.

"Do you remember what happened?" Olivia asked, still looking down at her hands.

Kat thought hard. She knew that she had gone into the interrogation room...Then it hit her. His fingers on her scars, his eyes on hers. Kat's stomach started to churn and she ran as fast as she could to the bathroom. She barely made it before emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet. Olivia was right behind her, holding her hair.

"It's okay." Olivia said, she was using her free hand to rub circles on Kats back.

Kat leaned back from the toilet bowl. Her face pale. Kat held her hand out and Olivia grabbed it, pulling Kat to her feet. Once Kat thought she was steady, she made her way to the sink. She splashed cold water on her face and looked into the mirror. God, she looked awful. But it wasn't the way _she _looked that caught Kat's full attention, it was the way her mother looked.

Olivia's face was riddled with pure guilt. Her eyes were bloodshot, she had been crying.

"I'm okay, you know." Kat said, turning to her mother.

"No, you aren't." Olivia took a few steps closer to her daughter. "I saw the look on your face while you were in the interrogation room. I know that your mind brought you back into the apartment."

Kat looked down at her feet.

"Yeah, I mean, it happens sometimes. Being in there with him... it just brought it all back."

"I never should have let you go in there." Olivia's voice was somewhat angry, not at Kat. At herself.

"Hey, no. Don't do that." Kat said, still gripping the counter. She didn't want to say anything now, but she felt like she was going to pass out again.

Olivia turned to her in confusion.

"Do what?"

"Don't blame yourself. This wasn't your fault. He didn't hurt me. "

"Not physically."

"I'm not any more damaged emotionally now than I was this morning. He just brought it all to the surface. I promise, I'm okay."

Olivia searched her daughter's face. Kat was unbelievably pale, her brown eyes tired and weak.

"I don't believe you, but I promise to stop blaming myself. Now come on, let's go home. We can talk about this tomorrow." Olivia held out her hand and motioned towards the door.

Kat let out a barely audible whimper. She knew she couldn't walk, it was already taking all of her strength to stand.

Liv heard the weak sound that her daughter made. Then she noticed something else; Kat was sweating. _A lot._ Olivia quickly made her way to Kat and placed her hand on the girl's forehead. She was burning up, Olivia had never felt a fever so high.

_'Can't my daughter just have a goddamn break?!' _ Olivia cursed to herself.

_"_Oh my god, Katherine." Olivia put her arm around Kat's waist to support her and Kat's knees gave away. Olivia set her daughter down against the wall and ran out the door.

"Nick! Help!" Liv yelled down the stairs to the squad room. Instead of just Nick, he, Mackenzie, and Amanda came rushing up the stairs.

"What is it?" Nick asked, frantic at the look of distress on his partner's face.

"It's Kat, she's sick and she's too weak to walk. I think she'll be okay once I get her home and in bed. I just need your help getting her out to the car and into our apartment."

Olivia led them into the bathroom. Kat wasn't where Olivia had left her, instead, she was in a stall, emptying her stomach once more. Except, there was nothing left in her stomach, so she just throwing up stomach acid.

Olivia held her daughter's hair back and rubbed circles on her back like she had last time.

"Alright, let's get you out of here, baby girl." Nick said as he put one arm under Kat's legs and the other around her waist and lifted her off the floor.

Nick was shocked at how hot Kat felt. He looked to Olivia with wide eyes. Liv just nodded in understanding.

"Nick?" Kat asked weakly as she opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Yeah, baby girl. It's me." Nick carried Kat through the precinct, Olivia right behind him.

Kat smiled weakly and shut her eyes, content in Nick's arms.

Amanda and Mack had to stay in the squad room, so Olivia had promised to keep them updated on Kat's status.

Once they got to Olivia's car, Nick placed Kat in the passenger seat and buckled her up. Kat placed her hand on Nick's arm to stop him as he leaned away from her.

"I wish I had a dad like you." Kat admitted, he eyes still closed.

Nick knew that it was the fever that made Kat say it, if she was in good health, she would never open up to someone like that. Nick smiled and kissed her on the forehead ignoring her temperature.

"That's why I'm here, baby girl."

"I like it when you call me that..." Kat's head rolled to the side as she fell asleep, alarming Liv and Nick.

The female detective turned to Nick, handing him Kat's car keys.

"Can you follow us in her car? I don't think I can get her into the apartment by myself."

Nick nodded as he grabbed the keys. Kat was parked right next to Liv, so he didn't have to search for her car.

Olivia pulled out of her parking spot and quickly drove home. Looking in her rear view mirror to make sure that Nick was still behind them.

When she hit a red light, Olivia glanced over to Kat who was passed out in the passenger seat, she was covered in a layer of sweat.

"You'll be okay. I'm gonna take care of you." Olivia reassured her daughter. She was answered by another barely audible whimper.

Olivia drove faster, pulling into her parking spot ten minutes later. Nick pulled up next to her right as she was getting out of the car.

Nick rushed to the passenger door and whipped it open. He picked Kat up and he and Olivia rushed to the elevator. Kat's head was resting on Nick's shoulder when she started to stir. Olivia placed her hand on Kat's shoulder.

"Shhhh, you're okay. We're almost home." Olivia whispered in her daughter's ear. Kat instantly calmed. Both detectives let out sighs of relief.

Olivia hurriedly got out her keys when she and Nick got to the door. She pushed it open and let Nick go through first. She didn't even have to tell him where Kat's room was, he just rushed in and gently placed Kat on her bed. Olivia came into the room about thirty seconds later with a thermometer. She gently shook Kat.

"Baby, I need to take your temperature. "

"No." Kat gently shook her head. "Sleep."

"You can sleep after I take your temperature, sweetheart. I promise. Just do this for me."

Kat reluctantly opened her mouth and Olivia placed the thermometer under her tongue.

"Good girl." Olivia praised as she rubbed Kat's arm, waiting for the thermometer to beep.

Once the thermometer beeped, Kat tried to grab it, but Liv swiped it away before she could.

_'103.6'_

"Holy shit." Olivia handed the thermometer to Nick and his eyes widened.

"Liv, you should take her to the hospital."

Kat's eyes shot open.

"No! I'm not going to the hospital! Haven't I been there enough this year?!"

"Katherine, your fever is dangerously high..." Olivia said, sighing.

"I don't care, it will break. I'll be fine. No. Hospital." Kat was getting exhausted from the argument and Liv knew it.

"Alright, but if it goes up one degree in the next two hours, I will drag your stubborn ass to the hospital. Got it?" Olivia said as she wiped strands of hair off of Kat's sweaty face.

Kat groaned as a response.

"Alright, Liv. I should go." Nick said, placing a hand on his partner's shoulder.

Olivia just nodded and gave Nick a smile.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it, partner." Nick said with a wink. Then he leaned in and kissed Kat's temple.

"Get better, baby girl."

Kat smiled weakly.

**/**

Kat was woken up that night by a churning in her stomach. She shot up from bed and ran to the bathroom. It took her until after she was done emptying her stomach for the sixth time that night that Olivia had followed her...again. Every time Kat got up to puke, Liv was there. Holding her hair and rubbing circles on her back. She had been sick for the past 48 hours and she was _so_ done with this shit.

On the bright side, her fever was down to 97.3 and she was actually starting to feel better.

"Thanks..." Kat said weakly as she squeezed toothpaste onto her toothbrush, eager to get the taste of vomit out of her mouth.

"It's my job." Olivia said with a smile.

Kat finished brushing her teeth and made her way back to her room with Olivia on her heels.

"You okay? Do you need anything?" Olivia asked as Kat laid back down on her bed.

"Can you go kick Fin's ass? I'm pretty sure he got me sick."

Olivia chuckled.

"You know what, when you are better you can kick his ass yourself."

"_Sergeant Benson_ are you condoning the assault of a fellow detective?" Kat mocked.

" Only when it involves my baby girl."

"Ugh, I'm not a baby."

"You let Nick call you baby girl."

Kat sat up quickly.

"Nuh uh. When?"

"The other night, when you were really sick."

Kat groaned and covered her face with her pillow.

"What else happened?"

Olivia couldn't help but laugh as she stood in the doorway and told her daughter about how she had basically told Nick that she wished he was her dad and she liked it when he called her 'baby girl'.

"Oh. My. God." Kat rolled over onto her stomach and sighed.

"It's fine sweetheart, it was actually really cute." Olivia said as she sat down next to Kat on the bed and rubbed her daughter's back.

Kat let out another sigh, this one showing how content she was with what Olivia was doing.

"I am _not _cute."

"I hate to break it to ya, sweetheart, but yeah, you are."

Kat just shook her head.

"I like it when you rub my back, it's relaxing."

"That's the point. You're grandmother used to do this when I was little and I had a bad day or if I didn't feel good."

Kat slightly frowned at the mention of her grandmother.

"Did she like me?"

Olivia's hand paused where it was, but then continued.

"She absolutely _adored_ you. "

Kat smiled

"How old were you when she told you about your father?" Kat spat out the last word.

Olivia sighed and adjusted so she could get more comfortable on the bed, she had a feeling she was going to be here for a while.

"I was fourteen."

"Oh..."

"Why?"

Kat shrugged.

"I don't know. I didn't know grandma at all, and I hate my grandfather... I mean, there are some times when I am almost glad that I didn't know them because you've got all these kids who show up at school crying or they get pulled out of class because their grandparents didn't wake up that morning. But then there is a part of me that always thinks 'what if' you know?"

"Yeah, I do."

"I'm sorry, you probably don't want to talk about this, and it's late. If you want to go to bed you can, I'll be fine. I might read a little."

"No, it's okay. I'm not tired."

"Okay..."

"So." Olivia started. "Tell me what's going on inside that big brain of yours."

Kat took a deep breath.

"I keep thinking about Wheeler."

"Kat, if you need to go back to therapy..."

"I don't I just keep thinking about it. He stalked that lady for two weeks, how do we know that he isn't watching us? You had to let him go because Alex said that you didn't get enough of a confession."

Olivia thought about this for a second.

"We're fine. Even if he is watching us, he won't touch either of us. We'll kick his ass to next Tuesday before he knows what hit him."

"Yeah, you're right. You saw how quickly I dropped him the other night."

Olivia chuckled.

"That I did. If you hadn't have done it, I would have."

"I don't doubt that. It's been a while since I've seen you go Badass Benson, though. Not going soft are you?" Kat mocked, sitting up now.

"Watch it..." Olivia warned.

"It's valid. After all, you are pushing-" Olivia clamped a hand over Kat's mouth.

" Don't you dare finish that sentence. We agreed a long time ago that I am 40 until I say otherwise."

Kat nodded with a playful twinkle in her deep brown eyes and Olivia removed her hand from Kat's mouth.

Olivia looked at Kat's alarm clock. 12:45. Olivia sighed.

"Alright, as much as I enjoy talking to you, I have work tomorrow, so I should go to bed. Goodnight. Feel better."

"I already do. Night, mom."

As Olivia left the room and shut the door, she couldn't help but laugh as Kat said one last thing.

"_Forty-eight."_

_**/**_

**This one was fun to write! I will upload chapter 18 and maybe 19 tomorrow since I have nothing to do. Thanks for reading! you guys rock! Please Review! Wheeler will be back in the next chapter I believe.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Here is chapter 18! You guys rock! Thanks for all of the feedback, it really means a lot! I own nothing, all characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. Enjoy!**

**/**

"I'm Sergeant Benson, this is Detective Rollins." Olivia held up her badge to the officer in front of her and motioned to Amanda.

"Dan Porter, hostage negotiator." The man nodded to the women.

"Why did you call us here?" Amanda asked.

"One of your suspects is holding six people up in the bodega on the corner. David Wheeler, ring a bell?"

Liv and Amanda stiffened at the name.

"Yeah. It rings a bell." Olivia said a little too sharply. Amanda elbowed her to tell her to calm down.

"Well, Sergeant. He has asked to speak to you."

"In person?" Olivia asked.

"No, he has a request."

Olivia had a feeling that she knew exactly what that request was.

**/**

The hostage negotiator gave Olivia the phone and she tried to control the anger in her voice as she spoke.

"This is Sergeant Benson." Olivia said, eying the bodega on the corner.

"Ah, Sergeant Benson, it's so nice to speak to you again." Wheeler said through the phone. His voice was different. Sadistic and angry.

"I understand you have a request?"

Wheeler chuckled through the phone.

"I want to speak to Katherine. We have some unfinished business to attend to."

**/**

Kat sat in her AP history class. She was pretending to read about The Great Depression when the classroom phone rang.

"Ms. Benson."

Kat looked up from the book to look at her teacher and raised an eyebrow in question.

"You are needed in the office."

Kat looked over to Mackenzie, who was sitting across the room. Mackenzie just shrugged. The girls never got called out of school ,not even when something bad happened at work with Amanda and Liv. It was when Cragen picked them up from school that meant something bad happened.

Kat gathered her things and made her way to the front office. Fin was waiting for her. He had a weary smile on his face. Panic quickly overtook Kat.

"Is it my mom? Is she okay?" Kat asked after Fin thanked the office ladies and led Kat out of the school. A hand on her back.

"Liv is fine."

"Amanda? Nick?" Kat was still in a panic.

"Kat! Calm down, everyone is fine."

"But something is still wrong." It wasn't a question.

"I didn't say that."

"You called me Kat, not Ace. You only do that when something is wrong. Spill, Fin." Kat looked at him as he drove, her eyes narrowed.

Fin sighed.

"Wheeler is holding six people at gunpoint in a bodega. He is asking to speak to you."

Kat's eyes widened and her heart started pounding.

"And mom is letting this happen?" Kat asked, suspiciously

Fin chuckled nervously.

"She started screaming at the hostage negotiator when he asked her to pull you out of school. Amanda called Nick and it took both of them to calm her down. I'm surprised that they didn't have to handcuff her. "

"So the answer is no." Kat sighed and ran her hand through her hair, causing Fin to smile at how similar Kat and Liv were.

"She thinks you are still in school. I don't want to be there when she figures out that we got you here."

Kat laughed, she knew that Fin wasn't joking.

When Kat and Fin got to the bodega, a man approached them.

"Detective Tutuola." The man greeted Fin with a handshake and he turned to Kat.

"I take it that this is Katherine." He stuck his hand out to shake Kat's, but she stuck her hands in her pockets and nodded to him.

"So, what do you need me to do?" Kat asked nervously.

"We just need you to talk to him on the phone. I will be listening the whole time." Kat nodded as he gave her instructions. Don't act superior, don't show anxiety, stuff like that.

"Alright, I'm ready." Kat picked up the phone and spoke.

"Hello David, remember me?" Kat asked, sounding as friendly as possible.

"How could I forget? How are you , Katherine?"

"I'd be a lot better if you would let those people go."

Wheeler chuckled sinisterly.

"Oh, that's not going to happen, I'm having so much fun."

"David, you don't have to do this. If you let them go now, I can get my mom to talk to the DA."

"You're Lying!" David yelled through the phone. Kat heard him take a deep breath and he spoke again.

"I want to see you. If I see you, I will let three people of your choice go."

Kat turned to the hostage negotiator who nodded.

"Alright, give me twenty minutes."

"I'll be waiting." With that, Wheeler hung up the phone.

Kat turned to Porter.

"Alright, tell me what to do." Kat said as confidently as she could.

**/**

Olivia stood by her car, seething. Amanda and Nick were standing on either side of her, sipping coffee.

"I don't need babysitters." Olivia said, glaring at her partner and best friend.

Nick and Amanda chuckled at the same time.

"We aren't your babysitters. We are here to make sure that you don't kill Detective Porter." Amanda said.

"Or Fin..." Nick added.

Amanda glared at him, her eyes filled with fury.

"Why would I kill F-"

Olivia started to talk, but when she moved her gaze from her partner, she saw Fin talking to a woman. The woman's back was turned to her, but Olivia knew who it was, it was Kat. Kat was getting wired by a tech, her hair was up, and Fin handed her a bullet proof vest.

"Kat!" Olivia yelled as she watched her daughter put the NYPD issued earpiece in and make her way toward the bodega.

Olivia started to run to stop her daughter, but Nick had his arms around her in a second. Keeping her from going anywhere. Liv struggled and continued to yell after her daughter.

"Katherine!"

Kat paused right before the door and looked right at Olivia.

"Kat!" Olivia yelled one last time as Kat opened the bodega door and closed it behind her.

Once she was in, Nick let Olivia go. Olivia immediately took off towards the hostage negotiator.

"You son of a bitch! How could you send her in there?!" Olivia yelled when she made it to Porter.

Porter just held up his hand to shut her up and handed her a pair of headphones so she could listen in.

Olivia shot him a glare and placed the headphones on her head.

**/**

Kat closed the door behind her and her heart sunk the moment she took in her surroundings. There were six people in the bodega; the cashier, a mother and her child who couldn't have been over three, a woman who was about Olivia's age, a man in his twenties, and a girl who was probably about twelve. _'Why isn't she in school?_ ' Kat asked herself.

Kat was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of Wheeler coming up behind her. He had a gun pointed past her, right at the cashier.

"Alright, Katherine. Pick three people to go."

Kat turned to the people who all had pleading eyes, except for the man in his twenties. He nodded his head and pointed to the little girl, her mother, and the twelve year old. Understanding that Kat had already known who she was going to send out.

Kat walked over to the mother and her child, giving the little girl a smile. She then motioned for the adolescent girl to come over. The girl did as she was told.

"Hi, I'm Katherine. Did he hurt any of you?" Kat looked to the three and they all shook their heads no.

"Okay, that's good. " Kat gave them another uneasy smile.

"I'm getting you three out of here." Kat picked up the little girl and helped the mother to her feet. They had been huddled in a corner. Kat then handed the girl off to her mother and she put her arm around the older girl's shoulders. They all walked slowly to the door.

Kat opened the door and before running out, the woman gave her a hug.

"You are very brave. You will survive."

Kat gave the woman a smile, trying to hold back the tears.

"Thank you. Can you do me a favor?"

"Anything, you saved us." The woman nodded.

"There are four SVU detectives out there. One of them is my mother and the other three are part of the only family I have..." Kat's voice trailed off and the woman gave her a knowing nod.

"Don't worry, I will tell them. Which one is your mother?"

"You'll know her when you see her. Just look at the eyes."

"Let's Go! I'm not getting any younger!" Wheeler yelled.

Kat shuffled the three people out the door, she still hand her hand on the girl's shoulder when Wheeler grabbed Kat by the ponytail and pulled her back into the building.

"Alright! Take it easy! What do you want?" Kat yelled. Wheeler let her go.

"We didn't get to finish talking last week."

"You tried to rape me, I wasn't interested in talking anymore." Kat said sharply, causing Wheeler to smirk.

"I wasn't going to _rape_ you... I was going to _help_ you." Wheeler walked towards Kat and tried to touch her arm, but she pulled away.

_"Don't_ touch me." Kat warned.

"I can help you. I can help you move on." Wheeler followed her.

"I have moved on. I don't need you to help me."

Wheeler's eyes filled with fury and he hit Kat across the face with his gun. Blood spilled from a cut just above Kat's eyebrow.

"You do need me."

Kat moved as quickly as she could. She grabbed Wheeler by the shoulder's and tried to knee him in the crotch like before, but this time he was expecting it. He stepped quickly and held the gun on her. Kat closed her eyes. Five seconds later, there was a gunshot, a scream from one of the hostages, and blinding pain.

**/**

Amanda and Nick were talking to Fin when they heard a gunshot. Immediately, they all looked to Olivia who was yelling at Porter to send his men in after her daughter. The three detectives ran over to them.

"You heard the damn gunshot. You heard the whole thing! You know that he shot her! She could by dying and you aren't doing anything."

Porter was about to respond when they heard a voice come from the speaker on the headphones.

"Fuck, that hurts!" Kat's voice was easily heard.

Amanda, Nick, and Fin all let out laughs of relief at what Kat had yelled. Olivia shot Porter a glare.

"She could still be bleeding! Get her out of there!"

"Sergeant, she is getting somewhere. She already got three people out, once she gets the other three we will pull her out."

"You better hope she goes home tonight." Olivia warned through gritted teeth as she put the headphones back on.

**/**

"Dude!" the cashier yelled."What the hell, you didn't have to shoot her!"

Kat was laying on the ground, clutching her leg as blood pooled around her. She looked to the man in his twenties. He was staring at the blood. Kat shook her head, realizing that he wasn't going to be any help. The cashier was so strung out that he couldn't tell his ass from a bag of chips, and the woman was huddled in the corner sobbing. She was on her own.

"Let them go, David. Please. If you let them go I will do whatever you want." Kat pleaded through the pain.

Wheeler took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

"Fine."

He turned to everyone and yelled for them to get out. The cashier and the woman ran as fast as they could out the door, but the other man lingered.

"What are you doing? Get out!" Kat yelled.

"You're gonna die if I leave." The man's voice was more confident then Kat had expected.

"I'll be fine. Just hand me your scarf." Kat ordered, suddenly glad that she had been shot in January instead of a warmer month so she had something that would make an easy tourniquet.

The man obeyed and handed her his scarf. Kat tied it as tight as she could over the wound.

"Go!" Kat yelled and the man jumped at her orders. He gave her a sorry smile and made his way out.

Kat was dragging herself to a chair against the wall when Wheeler pulled her up by her hair. He held the gun to her head and pushed his way out the door.

All of the cops had their weapons drawn as Wheeler dragged Kat out the door. Kat's eyes started closing, so she forced them open and fixed her eyes on Olivia. All of the SVU detectives had made their way to the front of the hoard of cops. They all had their guns pointed at Wheeler. Nick took a step forward, but Wheeler pushed gun farther into Kat's skull causing Nick to stop.

"If you want Katherine to keep her brains in her skull and not splattered all over the sidewalk, I suggest you stay put." Wheeler demanded.

Kat's eyes were still focused on Olivia. The detective had a look of fear in her eyes that Kat had never seen before. All of the detectives did.

"Wheeler, just let her go. You can't shoot your way out of this." Amanda urged.

"No, but I can take her with me." Wheeler tightened his grip on Kat.

"Wheeler, she's bleeding. You need to let her go." Amanda was pleading now. Her blue eyes filled with tears. She tried blinking them away. All she think about was what she was going to tell Mackenzie if this ended badly. She knew that this was probably all over the news, she wouldn't be surprised if Mack was watching the whole thing unfold on the TV at home.

"Please, Wheeler. Just let me go. It's over." Kat's voice was weak and all of the detectives knew that she didn't have much time. There was a pool of blood where she stood.

"I won't let it end with them on top!" Wheeler yelled as he let go of Kat, put the gun to his own head and pulled the trigger. His dead body falling right on top of the young brunette's.

Nick and Fin pulled his body off of Kat and Olivia was at her daughter's side as the medics loaded Kat onto the stretcher and into the back of the ambulance. This time, Kat was awake and completely aware of the blinding pain in her leg. She looked up to her mother and asked one thing.

"Do you think this is a good enough excuse to get an extension on my English paper?"

_**/**_

**Mwahahahhahahahahahaha! I am actually kinda proud of this chapter, ending with humor is always a plus! I promise though, after the whole Wheeler thing, I will lay off on Kat. I will probably focus more on Amanda, Liv, Mack, and Kat and their friendships. I might even add a little romance into Mackenzie's life. Spoilers! Alright guys, please review! You are all so awesome! Thank you!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Okay, so I am going to lay off on the life-threatening situations for a little while. I'm going to focus on the squad and their family aspects. Alright guys, you are all so awesome! Thank you so much! Enjoy!**

**/**

Olivia held the door open for Kat so she could get through on her crutches. Kat made it to the couch and threw herself onto in.

"Son of a bitch!" Kat yelled in pain when her leg hit the couch a little too hard. Olivia came running into the room.

"What happened?"

"I'm an idiot, that's what happened." Kat hissed.

Olivia couldn't help but chuckle when she realized what had caused the outburst.

"Here, let me help." Olivia moved to her daughter, her heart sinking when Kat waved her away.

"No, I'm just gonna go to bed." Kat grabbed her crutches and pulled herself up. Wincing as she moved her injured leg.

"It's only five. You haven't eaten dinner yet."

"Getting shot kinda ruins your appetite." Kat said with a little too much attitude.

"Katherine Benson, sit down right now." Olivia ordered

Kat jumped at Olivia's tone and obeyed. She settled down on the couch and allowed Olivia to help her prop her leg up on the coffee table. Olivia stood in front of her and paced.

"Are you...angry?" Kat asked, afraid of the answer. Olivia stopped pacing and looked at her daughter with a shocked look.

"You saved six innocent people today and you think I'm _angry_ at you?"

Kat looked down at her hands and nodded.

"I hurt you again. I hurt all of you. I shouldn't have gone into that bodega. I wasn't thinking."

Olivia sighed and moved over to the couch, sitting down next to Kat.

"You're right; you did hurt us. You could have died _again_ today. None of us knew if we would ever get to see you again."

Kat nodded along with what Olivia was saying.

"But...you _saved_ six innocent lives today and for that we are all so proud of you."

Kat wiped away a tear and sniffled. Olivia kept talking.

"I'm not going to lie. I was pissed when I saw you walk into the bodega. I wanted to go over to Fin and beat the hell out of him for bringing you, but when I saw those three people come out of the bodega and that woman came up to me and told me what you had done and what you had asked her to tell me, I couldn't have been more proud. Then when I heard the things Wheeler was saying to you and the gunshot, my heart broke."

"I'm sorry." Kat sniffed.

"Good... now I need you to promise me something."

Kat looked up at Olivia with a questioning look.

"I need you to promise me that you will stop getting yourself put in the hospital." Olivia chuckled.

Kat gave her a smile.

"No problem."

"I'm serious. No more life-threatening situations, and maybe you could try being a teenager for a little while. "

"If you insist." Kat faked disappointment, earning a laugh from her mother.

"Have you spoken to Mackenzie at all?" Olivia asked as she walked into the kitchen to start dinner. Kat started to get up but gave up after falling back onto the couch for a third time.

"No, she won't answer my calls. She's pissed." Kat sighed.

"She almost lost her best friend for the second time in less than a year. Give her time. Amanda will talk to her."

"I know... Hey, I've been thinking." Kat became slightly saddened.

"Don't hurt yourself." Olivia joked, noticing the mood change.

" . So funny, make fun of the injured one." Kat said with a wink.

"Sorry, what were you thinking?"

"Well, this guy, Mason, asked me out and I told him that I needed to think about it..."

"And...?" Olivia asked as she came into the living room and found her spot on the couch after putting dinner in the oven.

"He was Caleb's best friend." Kat said.

Olivia stiffened at the mention of Caleb, she knew how hard it was for Kat to talk about him.

"You feel guilty about dating someone after what happened to Caleb." Olivia didn't have to ask, she knew by the look in Kat's eyes.

Kat just looked at Olivia and started sobbing. She buried her face in Olivia's shoulder and Olivia wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"Kat, it's been over six months. It's okay to move on."

Kat just kept crying as Olivia held her.

"Do you like Mason?" Olivia asked.

Kat pulled herself out of the embrace and wiped the tears from her face.

"I like him a lot."

"Then say yes. Let yourself have some fun every now and then."

"Is Mama Bear Benson encouraging a date?" Kat asked, one eyebrow raised in perfect Benson fashion.

"Well Amanda and I get to interrogate him on his intentions before you go out."

Kat groaned.

"Seriously?"

Olivia chuckled.

"No, I'm joking. It'll only be me asking the questions." Olivia winked and went to take their dinner out of the oven.

When Liv came back, she fully expected to find an awake teenager, but instead she found Kat hugging a pillow, fast asleep.

Olivia chuckled and tried to remove the pillow from Kat's arms, but she had a death grip on it. Olivia just laughed again and covered her daughter up with a blanket and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight, my brave girl." With that, Olivia shut off the lamp which was the only thing providing light in the living room. She ate her dinner in bed and watched a movie on her computer, falling asleep around eleven.

**/**

Olivia was woken up by a scream that she knew all too well. She jumped out of bed and rushed into the living room to find Kat crying on the couch. Olivia made her way to her daughter and wrapped her up in a hug.

"Shhhhhhh. You're okay. I'm here, you're safe."

"I guess this means the nightmares are back." Kat said through her tears.

"They will pass just like they did last time. Do you want to talk about it?"

Kat took a deep breath and Olivia interlocked her finger's with Kat's.

"I was in the bodega. Wheeler said that I had to pick three people to leave, but this time I had to pick one person to die too. I looked around and instead of all of the strangers it was you, Nick, Amanda, Fin, Mack, and Cragen. I told him to let you, Amanda, and Mack go and to kill me. He just laughed and pointed the gun at you. I kept begging him not to hurt you but he wouldn't listen. I couldn't save you-"

Kat's voice was cut off by Olivia pulling her into another hug.

"Sweetheart, it's okay. I'm here, I'm okay. It was just a dream."

"I couldn't save you..."

"You save me every day just by existing. Trust me."

Olivia just rocked Kat for fifteen minutes until she felt her daughter's body relax. Once she was sure the girl had fallen asleep, Olivia let her go and propped her back up on the couch, making sure not to disturb Kat's leg. After Kat was settled, Olivia made herself comfortable on the couch. Normally, she would have gone back into her own room, but tonight she needed to be with her daughter. She needed to know that she was safe.

**/**

**I feel like this chapter sucked, it is way too short. Don't give up on me just because of this chapter! I will make it up in the next one, I promise. I have a great idea for it! Sorry this one was so bad...**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys! Sorry this is late, I got called into work so I couldn't update (teenage problems...). So a lot of you have been asking for more Mackenzie and Amanda, I will do my best to incorporate them as much as I can. This chapter is going to hopefully make up for how sucky chapter 19 was. Alright guys. Enjoy!**

**/**

Kat stood in front of the bathroom mirror, running her fingers through her hair for the hundredth time when there was a knock at the door.

"Kat, Mason is here." Olivia yelled after opening the door.

"I'll be right there!" Kat yelled back.

Kat decided to take her time since her mother had insisted on asking Mason a few questions before they left. She strained to hear what they were saying.

"Hello, Sergeant Benson. How are you this evening?" Mason's voice was confident, but not in an arrogant way.

"I am good, Mason. Please, call me Olivia."

"Okay."

"So, Mason. Can I ask you about your intentions with my daughter?" Olivia's eyes were kind, but her voice had an edge to it.

_'Is she really asking him these questions?'_ Kat thought to herself.

"Uh." Mason let out a nervous chuckle and wiped his sweaty palms on his dark jeans.

"Kat is a great girl and I would like to get to know her more." Mason answered, his confidence faltering.

Olivia gave a slight smile, the answer wasn't the best, but it would do for now.

"Now, I assume you know about her history, and about her injury." Olivia had her eyebrows raised in question.

"Absolutely. I made sure Kat was comfortable with doing this tonight. She assured me she was, and I made her promise that if she felt any pain or was at all uncomfortable to tell me so I could bring her back home."

Kat sighed in relief. Good answer.

Before Olivia could interrogate Mason any more, Kat made her way out to the living room after inspecting her outfit one more time. She had on dark jeans, a dark blue, long sleeve shirt, and her grey leather jacket.

"Alright, I'm ready. " Kat greeted Mason with a hug and gave Olivia an exasperated look. Olivia just held her hands up in defense.

"You look great Kat." Mason said with a pleased grin on his face.

"Thank you. So do you." Kat replied. It wasn't a lie, He really did look great. His sandy blonde hair was covered with a beanie, but his spiked bangs were peaking through. He wore dark jeans and a white v-neck with a black leather jacket over it.

"She didn't scare you too much, did she?" Kat said with a chuckle as she motioned over to Olivia, earning an eye roll.

"No, we just had a nice little conversation." Mason's grey eyes twinkled with the sarcasm in his voice.

"Well, you ready to go?" Kat motioned to the door and Mason nodded.

"Be home by eleven and don't walk too much. You should still be using your crutches." Olivia said from where she stood in the living room.

"Bye mom. Don't wait up." Kat said as she closed the door.

Kat sighed as she shut the door and turned to Mason.

"Are you going to tell me where we are going, or is it a surprise." Kat couldn't help but chuckle at the grin on Mason's face.

"It's a surprise." Mason gave Kat a wink, causing her to laugh again.

The two made their way to the elevator, to the first floor, and to Mason's car. Just as Kat was about to get into the car, she slipped on ice, falling right into Mason.

"Whoa, you good? Is your leg okay?" Mason had genuine concern on his face.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me." Kat placed her hand on Mason's shoulder to reassure him, the concern faded a little, but he still look worried.

"Really, Mason. It's fine." Mason gave a small nod and helped Kat into the car.

Once he got into the driver's seat, he turned to Kat.

"I gotta say...a girl who gets shot and is off of her crutches and out on a date in three days is pretty tough."

"And a guy who isn't intimidated by my mother is crazy." Kat joked. Earning a laugh from Mason.

Mason started the car and drove. With his eyes on the road ahead, he kept talking.

"Oh, trust me; I was intimidated. I can see where you get your personality from. Strong, smart..." Mason looked over to Kat, she was nodding along, trying to hide the fact that she was blushing.

"You look a lot like her too...it's kinda scary actually. Your eyes are like duplicates of hers."

Kat laughed.

"So I've been told."

Snow started to fall, covering the windshield and windows.

"I've always loved snow." Kat admitted, mindlessly.

"Me too, but rain has always been my favorite. I like the way to sky-" Kat cut him off with a smile on her face.

"You like the way the sky calms before a big storm..."

Mason's grin grew into a major smile.

"Exactly."

"I feel the same." Kat chuckled, looking down at her hands, suddenly embarrassed.

Mason pulled over to the curb in front of a bakery. All of the lights were turned off and the sign on the door said closed.

"What are we doing here?" Kat looked to Mason questioningly.

"My parent's own the place. They said I could borrow it." Mason got out of the car and made his way to the passenger side. He opened Kat's door and held out his hand.

"M'lady." Mason winked.

"Seriously? M'lady?" Kat laughed.

"If you are going to judge my choice of words, you can walk home." Mason joked, trying to hide his laugh as he fumbled for the keys to the bakery.

Once he got the door unlocked, he let Kat to the office behind the bakery. In the office was a blanket strewn on the floor. There were bottles of soda and a bucket of popcorn in the middle. Two pillows on each side. Kat looked over and saw a projector on the other side of the room.

"What is all this?" Kat asked in awe.

"Movie night." Mason led Kat over to the blanket and helped her sit down, noticing the way she winced when she moved her bad leg.

"I hope you like _The Lord of the Rings_..." Mason said as he started up the projector and sat down next to Kat.

Kat looked at him with a very serious face.

"Anybody who doesn't like _The Lord of the Rings_ needs some serious help." Kat said, her expression not faltering.

"Ah, a fellow nerd." Mason chuckled.

"I prefer the term 'Intellectual Badass'." Kat said, causing Mason to choke on his soda from laughing so hard.

"You are a badass, I'll give you that."

"You have no idea." Kat said with a wink.

Kat and Mason talked all through the movie. After about an hour, Kat had moved and positioned herself so her head was resting on Mason's shoulder. He had his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him.

Mason noticed Kat sigh so he turned to look at her.

"You okay?" The look of concern was back.

"I'm better than okay. I didn't think I would have this good of a time." Kat admitted.

"Why not?" Mason didn't want to pry, but he truly cared about what Kat was feeling.

"I honestly felt kinda guilty about going out with you..." Kat moved her gaze down to her hands.

Mason sighed, understanding what she was saying. He felt the same way about going out with the girl who his best friend was crazy about.

Mason grabbed one of Kat's hands and used the other hand to move Kat's chin up, forcing her to look at him.

"I know where you are coming from. I felt guilty for asking you out, but then I realized that Caleb would want you to be happy. He knows how you felt about him, and nothing will ever change that."

Kat's eyes filled with tears, Mason brushed one away as it spilled onto her cheek.

"You're right." Kat admitted.

"As always." Mason joked, earning a laugh from the brunette.

Kat brought her eyes to meet Mason's grey ones. They sat there for what seemed like a lifetime before his lips met hers. It was a gentle kiss, but full of meaning. Mason pulled away from the embrace and rested his forehead on Kat's.

They stayed and watched the rest of the movie, Kat in Mason's arms. He had his hand running through her hair mindlessly. When the movie ended, Mason got up and helped Kat to her feet.

"You ready to face my mom again?" Kat asked once they got in the car, not joking this time.

Mason reached over and grabbed Kat's hand.

"Only if you are." Mason couldn't help but smile at the way Kat laughed.

They drive in a comfortable silence, fingers entwined the whole time. When they got to Kat's apartment door, it was 10:50.

"I had a really nice time." Kat said as Mason brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"Good, I'm glad. I did too." Mason said with a grin.

Kat was just about to say something else when Mason's lips met hers again. This kiss wasn't as light this time, but just as sweet. Kat melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Mason's neck as his arms wrapped around her waist. Kat shifted awkwardly on her leg, it had started to hurt, but she wasn't going to say anything. Mason noticed and pulled away from the embrace, both of them slightly out of breath.

"You promised you would tell me if it started to bug you." Mason's eyes bore into Kat's.

"I didn't want to ruin it..."Kat struggled with her words. Her mind was still swimming from the kiss.

"You could never ruin it. Now go inside and heal so we can do this again. Next Friday maybe?"

Kat chuckled.

"Yeah, pick me up at the precinct? Coffee? Five O'clock?" Kat's forehead was still resting on Mason's as she spoke.

"It's a date."

Kat reluctantly moved away from Mason, kissing him on the cheek and saying good night before going inside.

Kat kicked off her shoes and slowly limped to the couch. Damn, her leg hurt. She winced as she propped her leg up on the coffee table after settling into the couch. Once the pain had passed, she sighed contently, a huge smile on her face as she thought about tonight's events.

Olivia came out of her room to find Kat dozing off on the couch.

"How'd it go?" Olivia's voice startled Kat out of her near slumber.

"It. was. perfect." Kat's smile returned.

Olivia chuckled, she hadn't seen Kat this happy in a while.

"Well I'm glad you had fun."

"We're getting coffee next Friday. He's picking me up at the precinct at five." Kat reached for her crutches. Her finger's barely grasping the metal.

"So Mackenzie can ask him more questions?" Olivia chuckled. Mackenzie was extremely protective of Kat, Kat was the same way with Mack.

"Shit." Kat said, running her hand through her hair.

"Hey, language." Olivia scolded. She let Kat swear every now and then, but lately she had been more strict about it.

"Sorry, I forgot to text Mack. She wants the details about the date. I'll just text her now, she's probably still awake."

"Alright, well. I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late." Olivia said after kissing Kat on the forehead.

"I won't."

Kat pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket and texted Mackenzie.

_'Hey, sorry it's late. The date was amazing. Movie night alone.'_

Mackenzie replied quicker then Kat expected.

_'So he wasn't an ass?'_

Kat laughed as she sent her reply.

_'I don't know why you don't like him. He was a perfect gentleman.'_

_'I still think he's a punk.'_

_'Punk? Really, Grandpa?'_

_'Hey, at least I didn't call him a whippersnapper. Just be careful. When do I get to interrogate him?'_

Kat shook her head and laughed.

_'Next Friday. Go easy on him. Don't worry, I will be careful.'_

_'I'll start making a list of questions. Alright, City Girl. I'm beat. Night.'_

_'You live in the city too, Georgia. I gotta take a pain pill, my leg hurts like a bitch. Goodnight.'_

Kat wasn't expecting a reply, so she put her phone in her pocket and got up from the couch. She slowly made her way to her room and changed into her pajamas. Once she was dressed, she took a pain pill and lay down on her bed.

She checked her phone one more time and saw the Mack had in fact replied.

_'Maybe if you would use your damn crutches like you're supposed to, your leg wouldn't hurt so bad. It's funny how that works. Now let me sleep! :)'_

Kat chuckled as she plugged her phone into the charger on the wall. Kat looked out her window as she fell asleep, the pain in her leg dulling, and the thought of Mason fresh in her mind.

**/**

**I hope you guys liked it! 20 chapters already! Again, sorry it was late. Please review. Tell me what you think about Mason! I think the next chapter is going to have Mackenzie and Amanda in it! Thank you all so much!**


	21. Chapter 21

** Okay, so I feel like the last few chapters have been really bad... I don't know. Maybe I will start updating every other day instead of every day so I can take my time on each chapter. Let me know what you guys think! You are all beyond awesome. Thank you so much for all of the reviews and such! Alright, chapter 21...Enjoy!**

**/**

Olivia sighed and threw her pen down on the open file in front of her. The latest case was that of Paige Thomas, a ten year old rape victim. Paige was an energetic, fun-loving little girl until some low-life decided to put his hands on her. The girl was so traumatized that she couldn't tell the detectives who hurt her. They never would have even gotten the case if her doctor hadn't reported bruising on her thighs.

Liv got up from her desk and made her way into the squad room to get coffee. It was Tuesday night and all of the detectives had been there since Monday morning. Liv and Amanda were the ones getting restless since neither of them had seen Kat or Mackenzie since they dropped the girls off at school on Monday.

Olivia walked over to Amanda's desk and placed a hand on her friends' shoulder, snapping the blond out of her thoughts.

"Amanda, why don't you go home for a while. I'll call you if we get any leads."

"Nah, Liv. I'll stay." Amanda leaned back in her chair and ran a hand through her blond hair.

"You sure? I'm sure Mackenzie would like to see you."

Amanda let out a chuckle.

"If anybody should be going home to see their kid it's you. I was on the phone with Mackenzie earlier and she said that Kat called her ranting about how impossible it is to write a paper on the Great Depression while on pain killers."

Olivia laughed, Kat had called her last night and done the same thing.

"Yeah, she's getting pretty frustrated." Olivia shook her head and chuckled as she visualized her perfectionist daughter trying to write a term paper and keep her eyes open at the same time.

"Mack said that she had to call Kat's boyfriend and get him to go over to your place to calm her down. Apparently Kat was using swear words that Mack didn't even know existed."

Olivia nearly choked on her coffee. _'She was in the apartment alone with Mason?'. _Amanda noticed how the brunette had tensed after she mentioned Mason.

"Calm down, Mama Bear. Kat is a smart girl, she wouldn't do anything like that when she is only seventeen. So, tell me about this kid. Am I going to have to cover up a murder for Mackenzie at all?"

Olivia relaxed a little.

"He's...okay.." Olivia didn't really know Mason very well.

"You don't think he's good enough for her." Amanda got up from her chair and stood next to Olivia in front of the coffee maker.

"Are they ever good enough?" Olivia asked, shaking her head.

"Not for our girls... I don't even want to think about Mackenzie dating. She'll probably bring home a guy with a body covered in tattoos and a motorcycle to finish." Amanda sighed and Olivia laughed at the dread in her friend's voice.

"She will probably date the same kind of guys you dated, considering she is _exactly_ like you."

Amanda groaned.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Liv put down her coffee and turned to Amanda.

"What was her father like?" Olivia asked the question carefully. She wasn't sure how that relationship ended.

Amanda sighed, a faint smile on her face.

"Smart, funny, caring, strong, extremely attractive."

"And the problem is...?" Olivia laughed as she asked the question.

"Well, on top of all of those wonderful traits, he had one that wasn't so great. One that I wasn't going to raise my daughter around."

Olivia gave her friend a questioning look that urged her to continue.

"I met him when I was still gambling. One night, he was walking home from a casino and a bookie grabbed him. Beat him to a pulp, said if he didn't get his money, Mackenzie and I were next. When he told me what happened, I packed up my things and my two-year-old girl and left."

"I'm sorry Amanda, I didn't know.." Olivia placed her hand on Amanda's arm.

"It's fine. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have my beautiful girl. So when it comes down to it, I'm glad I met him in that casino."

"Did he ever get help?"

"They found him floating in a river two weeks after Mackenzie's fourth birthday." Amanda wiped away a lone tear that made its way down her cheek.

Olivia pulled the detective into a hug. Amanda was surprised at first, but after a few seconds, she returned the hug and Olivia let her go.

"Does Mackenzie know?"

"Yeah, I told her when she was twelve. She took it pretty well actually. She never talks about it though, I know she told Kat because one night when I came home from work and Kat was over, she brought me into a crushing hug. When I asked her what it was for, she didn't say. After she went home I asked Mackenzie and she told me."

"It's a good thing they have each other, Kat never really had friends before you two came along."

"Well, I'm glad we could help."

Liv laughed and nudged Amanda with her elbow, earning a slug to the shoulder. The two detectives went back to their desks and stared at their files.

**/**

Kat slammed her laptop closed, she was beyond frustrated. How was someone supposed to write a history paper when all they wanted to do was sleep? She could stop taking her pain killers, but then all she would be able to think about was the relentless throbbing in her thigh.

Kat slowly got up from her place on the couch and limped her way to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water. Sighing, she looked around her empty apartment. Kat hated when her mother caught a case and was gone for days. She was proud to have such a dedicated detective as a mother, but she still hated being alone in her apartment for sometimes three days at a time.

Kat was startled out of her thoughts by her phone buzzing. She pulled it out of her pocket and smiled when she saw the screen.

"Hey, mom."

"Hey, I was just making sure everything was okay." Kat could tell that her mother wasn't being completely honest.

"Everything is fine. "

"How's the paper going?"

"Don't even get me started." Kat didn't even try to hide the frustration in her voice. Olivia just chuckled. They fell into an awkward silence.

"So are you going to tell me the real reason you called?" Kat asked, imitating Olivia's 'don't you dare lie to me' voice.

Kat heard the detective sigh on the other end of the line.

"This case is just..." Olivia's voice trailed off.

"I get it. You'll catch the guy. Just...make sure that you're careful. "

"I will. I gotta go. Get that paper written, I should be home tomorrow night. I'm sorry I've been gone for so long."

"It's okay, stay safe. Tell Amanda I say hi. I'll pick Mack up for school tomorrow. I love you."

"Love you too, sweetheart. Goodnight."

"Night."

Kat waited until Olivia hung up, fighting the tears that formed in the back of her eyes.

"She'll come home. She always comes home." Kat whispered to herself.

After spending another hour on her paper and finally getting it done, Kat went to bed. She layed there for what seemed like forever before finally giving up. Kat lifted herself off of her bed and made her way across the apartment into Olivia's room. She folded the blankets down and settled into her mother's bed, breathing in the familiar scent of the detective.

After ten minutes, Kat was out cold.

**/**

"Come on Mack. We're gonna be late!" Kat yelled from her car as Mackenzie slowly made her way out of the apartment building.

"Calm down, it's only 7:30, we've got another half an hour." Mackenzie's voice was full of irritation.

Kat looked over to her friend, Mack was clutching to a travel mug of coffee like her life depended on it. She was wearing sunglasses, and Kat would bet her life that she was wearing them to hide the bags under her eyes.

"Couldn't sleep, huh?" Kat asked as she pulled away from the curb.

"It's just weird with mom not there, you know?" Mackenzie turned to face Kat, who nodded. Her eyes fixed on the road.

"I slept in my mom's bed last night."

"Yeah, I slept in one of my mom's shirts, it smelled like her. It was almost like she was there." Mackenzie admitted, moving her gaze back to the window.

Kat sighed.

"Does it get any easier? It was never like this back in Georgia." Mack asked, her voice hopeful.

"I wish I could tell you it does, but it actually gets harder. The older you get, the more you understand about what could happen."

"Well, you don't sugar coat anything, do you Miss Ray of sunshine?" The usual tone of sarcasm making its way back into Mack's voice.

Kat didn't reply, and the ride to school was silent.

Once Kat pulled into a parking space in the school parking lot, Kat and Mackenzie got out of the car and went their separate ways. They had two AP classes together, but since Mack was a junior and Kat was a senior, they didn't see each other much during the day.

Kat spent her day just going through the motions. Most of her teachers gave her looks that were filled with pity when they saw how she was still limping. If there was one thing that Kat did not take well, it was pity.

Kat was at her locker, about to leave when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. She tensed for a second, before realizing that it was Mason.

"What are you doing?" Kat asked with a chuckle.

"Am I not allowed to hug my girlfriend?" Mason asked, faking an offended tone.

"I didn't realize that we were on to titles. We went on one date." Kat shut her locker and started to walk away, gesturing for Mason to follow.

"One pretty awesome date." Mason said matter-of-factly.

"That it was. We still on for coffee Friday?"

"Yeah, about that..." Mason scratched his head with a guilty look on his face.

"You have to cancel?" Kat tried to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"Yeah. Something came up. I'm really sorry."

Kat stopped walking when she got to her car. Mackenzie was already leaning against the passenger side door.

"Don't be. It's fine." Kat assured, opening the door and throwing her backpack in.

"You sure?" Mason still looked guilty.

"Absolutely." Kat gave him a convincing grin. Mason leaned in for a kiss, but Kat ducked into her car. She said goodbye and shut the door.

Mason looked up at Mackenzie, who had been watching the whole thing with a grin on her face. When she saw that Mason was looking at her, she only had one thing to say before getting in the car.

"I still don't like you."

**/**

**Okay, so I hoped you guys liked it. Sorry it was updated late. Please review! Thanks guys!**


	22. Chapter 22

**There isn't much to say before this chapter... just thank you! Okay, enjoy chapter 22!**

**/**

"I didn't rape anybody!" Frank Cicero yelled to Nick, who was standing in front of him in the interrogation room.

Nick was getting frustrated. He and Fin had been interrogating the man for three hours and he wasn't making any progress. Liv and Amanda were talking to Paige Thomas in Olivia's office. The girl's mother had finally allowed them to speak to her daughter alone.

"Then explain the bruises on her thighs, and all of the forensic evidence that says she was raped." Fin said from where he sat, eyeing the sweaty, overweight man in front of him.

"I never said she wasn't raped. I just said that I didn't do it!" Frank rubbed his hand over his face.

"Then who did?" Nick asked.

"How the hell am I supposed to know? I live across the hall, I barely speak to the girl."

Nick nodded and slammed a file down on the table.

"We know about the complaint that was filed against you ten years ago. You touched a little girl inappropriately. "

"That was a bunch of bullshit! I didn't touch that girl! I'm not a pervert!"

Fin laughed.

"I beg to differ."

Frank narrowed his eyes at the detective.

"Get me my lawyer."

**/**

Paige Thomas looked down at her hands. The brunette detective sat in front of her, trying to make eye contact. The blond detective leaned against the desk in the room, her hands were in her pockets and she was looking at Paige with a concerned expression.

"I don't want to talk about this." Paige said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"We know Paige, but the only way we can help you is if you talk to us." Olivia looked down at Paige's hands and took them in her own, carefully. Paige stiffened at the contact, but relaxed after a moment.

"He told me he would kill me if I told."

"Sweetheart, we can keep you safe. " Amanda moved to Paige and sat down next to her.

"No you can't. Nobody can. He'll find a way to hurt me again!" Paige's voice had escalated into a yell. Liv and Amanda knew not to push.

"How about you stay here with Amanda for a little while. There is somebody that I want you to meet."

Paige nodded. Olivia looked up at Amanda who had her eyebrows raised in question. The brunette just gave her a look that said '_you'll see'_ and left her office.

Once Liv stepped out of her office, she saw that Nick and Fin were sitting at their desks, doing paperwork.

"How'd it go?"

"Bastard lawyered up." Fin said, not looking up from his computer.

Olivia sighed and pulled out her phone. She knew that there was only one person who could get through to Paige.

**/**

Kat was asleep on the couch when she heard her phone ring. Groaning, she turned on her side and answered her phone. She didn't even form a word, she just answered with a not-so-feminine grunt.

"Well hello to you too." Olivia chuckled.

"Hey." Kat said, bitterly.

"Did I wake you up?" Olivia's voice was somewhat worried. Kat had probably only gotten home from school and hour ago. Was she really that tired?

"S'no big deal. What's up?" Kat's words were slurred with exhaustion.

"Can you do me a favor."

"Sure. What is it?" Kat sat up on the couch and slipped on her shoes as Olivia spoke.

"I need you to come talk to a victim. I think you could get through to her." Olivia's voice was unsure. She knew that Kat wasn't comfortable talking to child victims.

"Um, yeah...sure. If you think it will help."

"I think it will." Olivia's voice trailed off as she heard Kat shuffling in the background.

"Are you okay to drive? Not too tired?"

"My God, mom. I'm fine. I'll be there in a few." Kat hung up without saying anything else.

**/**

Fifteen minutes later, Kat came into the squad room on her crutches, which worried Olivia. Kat had refused to use her crutches all week, if she was using them now, she must be in pain. When Kat made her way to Olivia, she still had her sunglasses on.

"You okay?" Olivia asked, not even bothering to hide her concern.

"Yeah. Where is she?" Kat's voice was cold, but laced with pure exhaustion. Something was definitely wrong.

"She's in my office. If you don't want to do this-" Olivia stopped talking when Kat removed her sunglasses, revealing dark bags under her eyes. Before Liv could recover from the shock, Kat was already in her office.

Amanda looked up from talking to Paige to see a very rough looking Kat balancing on her crutches for support. Without saying a word, she got up and left the room after giving Kat a squeeze on the shoulder.

Kat made her way to the girl, sitting down in the chair across from her.

"Hi. I'm Katherine, but you can call me Kat. Can you tell me your name?" Kat used the softest voice she could muster.

The girl looked up, her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy.

"My name is Paige."

Kat gave her a small smile.

"That's a really nice name."

"I like yours too." Paige admitted, returning the smile. It didn't reach her eyes.

"Thanks, it was a birthday present." Kat hoped the joke would make the smile spread, and it did. Paige gave a genuine laugh.

"Olivia said that she wanted me to meet you." Paige stopped fumbling with her hands and actually perked up a little.

"Olivia is my mom. She wanted me to talk to you about what happened."

Paige's look of happiness faded, Kat knew she was shutting down again. She had to act quickly.

"If you don't want to talk about it, we don't have to."

Paige nodded, a relieved look on her face. Kat smiled and moved closer to the girl.

"So tell me about yourself."

Paige thought for a minute before speaking.

"Well, I'm ten. I like the sun. I read a lot, and I spend a lot of time outside. There's not much else worth mentioning."

"Oh, I doubt that. I bet there are a lot of things about you that you just can't think of right now."

Paige gave her another smile.

"Tell me about you."

"I'm seventeen. I like the rain. I also read a lot. I really only go outside when I go for runs every day. I love music, and I like the Mets, never the Yankees."

Paige giggled, causing Kat to laugh. Paige looked at the crutches that were leaning against the desk.

"Why do you need those?"

"I was shot on Thursday." Kat didn't really want to talk about it, but she knew that opening up was the only way to get Paige to do the same.

"Really? Did it hurt?" Paige had a look of concern and curiosity on her face.

"At first yeah, but it's getting better." Kat lied. Her leg had actually been getting worse.

"Well I'm glad you are getting better."

Kat gave the girl a surprised smile.

"Thanks, kid. I am too." Kat took a deep breath and decided to push a little harder.

"Paige, can you please tell me what happened to you?"

Paige stiffened, but nodded slowly. Kat gave a smile.

"Okay, what happened?"

"I-I was outside my apartment building, reading in the grass when he came up behind me." Paige's eyes filled with tears and Kat reached out and grabbed the girl's hands, which were shaking.

"Go on. It's okay." Kat assured, running her thumb over Paige's knuckles.

"He pulled me into the bushes and told me that if I scream her would kill me. I begged him to stop, but he ripped off my pants. I cried the whole time. It hurt so much, Kat. I didn't want it." Paige lunged into Kat's arms and sobbed. Kat held her tight and stroked the girl's hair. Tears in her own eyes.

"I know, baby. It's okay. Everything is going to be okay. You're strong. You can get through this." Kat whispered in her ear.

"How do you know?" Paige's voice was muffled, her face was still pressed in the crook of Kat's neck.

"Can I show you something?"

Paige moved back from the embrace and nodded. Kat took a deep breath and removed her sweater, leaving her in a tank top.

Paige gasped at the sight in front of her. Kat was covered in scars.

"What happened?" Paige was still crying, she looked into Kat's eyes to see that the older girl was crying too.

"Somebody hurt me. Not like they hurt you, but they hurt me. It took me a long time to move on. I had nightmares, and I honestly thought that it was over for me, but then people helped me."

"Who?"

"The same people who are trying to help you." Kat pointed out the window to the detectives who had been watching the whole thing. Liv and Amanda were both fighting tears. Kat continued talking.

"Those detectives out there are four of the bravest people I know. They helped me and now they are going to help you. I just need you to tell me who did this so they can arrest him so he can't hurt you or anyone else ever again."

Paige leapt into Kat's arms again and whispered into her ear.

"It was Frank. The man from across the hall."

"Paige you are so brave. Do you think you could pick him out of a group of people?"

"I would have to see him?" Paige's voice was filled with fear.

"He won't be able to hurt you. My mom will be there."

Paige nodded and moved back into Kat's arms, sobbing again. Kat painfully stood up and moved over to the couch. She held Paige until the crying stopped, what she didn't expect was for Paige to fall asleep.

Kat shifted Paige's body further up so the girl's head rested on her shoulder instead of her chest. The teenager sat up slowly, then made it to her feet. Biting her lip as to not scream at the pain in her leg. Paige's legs wrapped around Kat's waist. Paige was a small girl, so Kat wasn't straining to hold her. Kat limped out of the office, tears forming in her eyes at the searing pain she felt. She blinked them away before anyone could notice.

Olivia and Amanda moved towards them, questioning and touched looks on their faces.

"It was some guy named Frank. Neighbor from across the hall." Kat said as she shifted Paige's body a little. "She said she could pick him out of a lineup."

"Thank you Kat. We weren't getting anywhere with her." Olivia said, gratefully.

"She's a tough girl. I'm just sorry that this happened to her." Kats voice was laced with anger and sorrow. She had gotten attached to the girl while they were talking. She hated to bastard who did this.

"I'll watch her if you guys want to go pick him up. I doubt she will be waking up any time soon." Kat chuckled as Paige snored a little.

"We don't need to. He's in our interrogation room." Amanda said as she walked away, she had to arrange the lineup.

"Here, why don't you sit down." Olivia motioned to the chair by Amanda's desk.

Kat shook her head.

"I'm okay. I'm afraid that if I sit down I might disturb her." Kat was lying, she was afraid that if she sat down she wouldn't be able to get up. The pain had escalated from a dull throb to an intense one.

Amanda came back into the squad room after ten minutes.

"Alright ,we're ready for the lineup."

Kat nodded and rubbed her hand on Paige's back.

"Paige, baby. Wake up."

Paige lifted her head from Kat's shoulder and rubbed her eyes with on hand. The other was still wrapped around Kat's neck.

"Hey, baby. Are you ready to pick the man who hurt you out of a group of people like we talked about?" Kat's voice was soft and filled with care. Amanda swore it was the same tone that Olivia used to talk to victims.

Paige's eye's filled with fear, but she nodded her head.

"That's my brave girl. Alright, how about you go with Olivia. I'll be here when you're done. " Paige shook her head and buried her face in the crook of Kat's neck, her grip on the teen tightening.

"Paige, do you want me to go find your mom so she can be there?" Olivia asked.

"Can Kat come with?" Paige shifted her head so the question would be audible.

Kat's eyes filled with tears and she blinked them away. Paige had gotten attached too.

"If she wants." Olivia said, giving Kat a proud look.

"Alright, let's go." Kat fought the urge to scream when she took a step with her bad leg. It was getting worse fast. She had no idea why and it was scaring the hell out of her.

Kat followed Olivia into the room with the one-way-mirror. Paige looked at her with confusion and fear.

"They won't be able to see you. Here, I'll show you." Kat limped over to the door that adjoined the two rooms and opened it. She walked into the small room and held Paige so she could see the mirror in front of them.

"See, you can't see Detective Benson, but she can see you. All you can see is us."

"Okay." Was all Paige said. Her voice was still filled with fear.

Kat made her way back to her mother's side, still holding Paige in her arms.

The men entered the room in front of them, and Page stiffened.

"You can do this. I'm right here. You're okay."

Olivia's heart swelled with pride at the way Kat comforted the young girl.

"Paige, do you see the man who hurt you?" Olivia asked.

Paige nodded.

"Can you tell us what number he is holding?"

"Number five." Paige's voice was small.

"Where do you recognize number five from?"

"He's the man that raped me." Paige said through a sob. She buried her face in the crook of Kat's neck once again.

Kat looked to Olivia with a questioning expression. Olivia smiled and nodded, knocking on the window five times.

"Good job, sweetheart. I am so proud of you." Kat whispered into Paige's ear as they made their way out of the room.

The woman who Kat assumed was Frank's lawyer was speaking to Alex. Alex scoffed and shook her head. Kat started to feel dizzy and then she realized that there were two Amanda's next to her. She swayed a little and tapped on Paige's back.

"Baby, I gotta put you down for sec. Okay?" Paige tightened her grip on Kat.

"No."

"Paige, please. Let go." Kat tried to pry Paige off of her as the room spun. Olivia and Amanda were looking at her, confused.

Kat knew that she wasn't going to be able to stand for much longer, and she didn't want to risk hurting Paige.

"Paige, please let go. I need you to let go." Kat pleaded. Paige's grip loosened and Kat placed her on the ground. She reached out and stroked Paige's hair before stumbling backwards.

"Kat?" Paige's eyes filled with confusion.

"Hon, you okay?" Amanda placed her hand on Kat's arm, trying to hide the fact that she was terrified.

"Katherine, what's going on?" Olivia didn't even try to hide the fear in her voice.

"Could you maybe call an ambulance? I-uh. I'm not feelin' so hot." Kat said, the only thing keeping her up was Amanda's hand.

"Fin! Call a bus!" Olivia yelled.

"Kat? Are you okay?" Paige rushed in front of Kat as the teen fell to her knees.

"Yeah, baby. I'm okay. Just tired. Hey, I want you to close your eyes okay. Can you do that for me?"

Paige obeyed and Kat let herself fall the rest of the way to the ground. She didn't want Paige to see her collapse.

Kat was awake long enough to feel her shoulders being lifted onto Olivia's knees, she could hear the muffled sound of Olivia's voice. Kat was so tired, all she wanted was sleep. She forced a weak smile and closed her eyes. She was unconscious immediately.

**/**

**Yup, Kat is headed back to the hospital! This will definitely be the last time she is hut or sick for a while. I promise! (by a while I mean SEVERAL chapters). I am actually kind of proud of this chapter. It might be my favorite. Please review! Y'all are so great! **


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey y'all! Thank you so much for all of the feedback! You all rock! I hope you like chapter 23!**

**I own nothing, all characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC.**

**/**

"She looks peaceful for once."

Olivia was watching her daughter sleep in the hospital bed when a familiar voice shook her from her thoughts. The brunette turned around to see Amanda standing in the doorway.

"Yeah, she does..." Olivia said as Amanda sat down at the foot of Kat's bed.

"What did the doctor say?" Amanda asked, placing a hand on Kat's leg.

"She passed out from exhaustion. It was made worse by the concussion."

"She sustained the concussion seven months ago." Amanda's voice was full of question.

"The fact that she didn't take it easy after the attack prevented a full recovery. The doctor said that she still has the concussion. With everything that happened and the fact that she let her leg get so bad caused the trauma to make itself more prominent, which is why she collapsed." Olivia looked to Amanda, tears in her eyes.

"How did I not see it, Amanda? I'm her mother, I'm supposed to know when my daughter needs me."

"Liv, you can't blame yourself for this. None of us saw it."

"The doctor said that her leg was so bad that the pain had actually gotten worse than it was when she was initially shot. They said judging by how she passed out and the tests that they ran, she hadn't actually slept in over a week. She probably dozed off, but never actually fell into a deep enough sleep for it to do any good."

Olivia had tears running down her cheeks and Amanda had moved to hug her. After the hug had ended, they just sat there and waited for Kat to wake up. After an hour, Kat began to stir.

"Mom?" Kat's eyes were still closed and her voice was groggy.

"I'm here baby. I'm right here." Olivia grabbed one of Kat's hands and used her other hand to move the hair out of her daughter's face.

"What happened? Where am I?" Kat's eyes started to open.

"You collapsed in the station, sweetheart. You're in the hospital."

Kat groaned.

"Do you remember anything about today?" Amanda made her presence clear when she spoke.

Kat rubbed her eyes with her free hand.

"Uh... " Kat's eyes widened. "Paige! Is she okay?"

Amanda and Liv chuckled at Kat's concern.

"Yeah, babe. She's okay. She is in the waiting room with Mackenzie, she refused to leave." Olivia had a small smile on her face.

Kat gave a small, grateful smile.

Amanda got up to get a nurse and Olivia moved to the said of the bed, looking Kat directly in the eyes.

"Kat, why didn't you tell me that you weren't sleeping?"

"I have been sleeping." Kat's voice was quiet. Olivia sighed.

"Katherine, an hour of sleep a night isn't sleeping. Do you realize how serious that is?"

"I-I just couldn't shut my mind off, and my leg hurt so bad."

"Why didn't you say something about your leg? The doctor said that the pain must have been excruciating."

Kat bit her lip and nodded. Olivia was about to say something when the nurse came back in, followed by Amanda, Mackenzie, and Paige.

"Kat!" Paige yelled as she jumped onto the bed and into Kat's arms. Kat chuckled and hugged the girl tightly.

"Hey, kid."

Paige moved back from Kat. She was crying and she obviously had been for a while.

"Are you dying?" Paige asked, earning a laugh from everyone in the room.

"No, babe. I'm not dying. " Kat wiped tears away from Paige's face.

"Then what's wrong?"

"I just wasn't taking care of myself the way I should have."

Paige moved back into Kat's arms, making herself comfortable. Olivia and Amanda smiled at how close the two had become.

"Am I being replaced?" Mackenzie asked, laughing.

"There is plenty of room for you, Mack and if you want to cry, that's okay too." Kat winked at her best friend.

"You suck."

Mackenzie was actually crying now, she quickly wiped the tears away. She stood there for a minute before Kat stuck out her other arm. Mackenzie rushed to her friend and gave her a hug.

"Don't ever do that again!" Mackenzie said, she wasn't angry. She was scared.

"I won't. I promise." Kat hugged Mackenzie. Mackenzie stepped back with an awkward laugh, wiping away remaining tears.

Kat turned to the doctor who had just walked in.

"Alright, Doc. You're next." Kat joked as she opened herself up for a hug, earning a laugh from everyone, especially Paige who was now rested comfortably at the teen's side.

"Good to see you are feeling better, Katherine."

Kat nodded.

The doctor grabbed the file that was clipped to Kat's bed. He looked to the teen with a very serious expression.

"Alright. Listen to me very carefully. For the next week you will use your crutches and you will get at least nine hours of sleep a night. I would even advise against you going to school until next Tuesday." The doctor's voice was extremely serious.

"Seriously?" Kat was beyond annoyed.

"Yes, seriously. _No_ stress and absolutely no strenuous physical activity." The doctor was now talking to Olivia, since he knew that Kat wasn't happy with his instructions.

"Okay, I'll make sure she takes it easy. " Olivia nodded.

Kat raised her hand and the doctor gave her a questioning look.

"By strenuous physical activity, do you mean I can't run or box or anything. Or are you saying like instead of six miles a day, I can only run three?"

Mackenzie laughed, but Olivia and Amanda glared at her.

"He means you keep your ass planted on the couch for the next week. You're coming to the station with me every day until I think you can go back to school." Olivia said as she crossed her arms over her chest to show that she wasn't budging on the subject.

Kat sighed loudly. She was about to argue when a woman that she didn't recognize knocked on the door.

"Um, I'm so sorry to interrupt. Paige, come on, we should go home."

Paige shook her head and moved closer to Kat. Kat extended her hand to the woman.

"You must be Paige's mother. I'm Kat."

"That I am. My name is Angela Marino." The woman shook Kat's hand.

"Marino? I thought Paige's last name was Thomas." Kat raised her eyebrows in question.

Paige spoke before Mrs. Marino could.

"She's not my real mom. I'm a foster kid." Paige crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oh, I didn't know that." Kat gave Paige a jokingly exasperated look, earning a giggle from the young girl.

"Come on Paige, we have to go." Mrs. Marino was getting impatient.

Paige looked to Kat with a sad expression, Kat pointed to her jokingly.

"I will see you soon. I promise. You're not getting rid of me any time soon."

Paige smiled and gave Kat a hug before jumping off the bed.

"Bye Kat!" Paige waved as she left.

"See ya, Kiddo." Kat smiled at the girl and returned the wave.

"Can I take her home now?" Olivia turned to the doctor.

"Yeah, can I leave this prison and go to my other, more _smothering_ one?" Kat asked, turning to Olivia and Amanda when she said the word 'smothering'. Both of the detectives narrowed their eyes.

"We are not smothering you, we are taking care of you. Just wait until you see Nick and Fin. I'm pretty sure they were more worried than we were." Amanda said as Olivia signed discharge papers.

Kat rolled her eyes.

"Can we go home now?" Kat asked her mother.

"Let's head out." Olivia nodded as she spoke.

Kat swung her feet over the edge of the bed, swaying as the room spun a little. She slipped on her shoes on and stood up, her leg still hurt, but not as bad. She began to make her way out of the room, but was stopped by her mother and Amanda.

"Crutches." The two detectives said in unison.

Kat sighed at grabbed her crutches, shooting Mack a glare when the blond laughed.

"I may be a little shaky on my feet, but I can still kick your ass." Kat said, causing Mackenzie to laugh even harder.

"Bring it on, Crutchie." The nickname earned chuckles from Liv and Amanda.

Kat pretended not to hear.

When they were halfway down the hall, Kat stuck one of her crutches out in front of Mackenzie, causing the blond to trip.

"Oops." Kat shrugged and stepped into the elevator.

The two detectives were ignoring the childish behavior.

"You're gonna pay for that, Benson." Mackenzie struggled to hide the laughter in her voice.

"Bring it on, Blondie."

**/**

**I know, this chapter was boring. I just wanted t add a little bit of banter between Kat and Mack, so I took my chance. Please review!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Alright! Here's chapter 24! Enjoy!**

**I own nothing, all characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC!**

**/**

Amanda couldn't help but laugh at the sight in front of her. Olivia was walking into the precinct at seven in the morning like she did every day, cup of coffee in hand. The difference today is that Olivia was accompanied by an obviously annoyed Kat.

" Good Morning ladies." Amanda greeted, trying to hide her amusement.

"What's so good about it?" Kat asked, harshly.

"Morning, Amanda." Olivia said with a sigh at how rude her daughter had been.

Olivia opened her office door and led Kat in first. Once they were in the office, Kat threw herself down on the couch, exasperated.

"Alright-" Olivia started, but was cut off by Kat.

"I know, ass on the couch." Kat laid down and turned so her back was to Olivia. Kat wasn't mad at her mother, she was just annoyed by the whole situation.

Olivia sighed again and sat down at her desk. Looking up from her file as Kat turned over and faced her.

"Yes?" The detective raised an eyebrow.

"Can I at least have some coffee?" Kat's voice was full of desperation and laced with annoyance.

"No. You don't need anything to keep you awake. Your doctor said that you should be sleeping as often as possible."

"I thought you weren't supposed to sleep with a concussion?" Kat questioned.

"Considering how sleep deprived you let yourself get, you are an exception to the rule."

Kat sighed in frustration.

"I need caffeine to function! You of all people should understand. Our blood is like sixty-five percent caffeine."

Olivia chuckled at how Kat was begging.

"If you had the headache I do right now, you wouldn't be laughing." Kat said as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"The headache will pass."

"Not if I die first." Kat said with a scoff.

"You're not going to die, Katherine. If you sleep your headache will go away."

"It would also go away if I had a fucking cup of coffee." Kat sneered.

"Watch your mouth." Olivia's tone was full of warning.

"Sorry..." Kat sighed and closed her eyes. Olivia went back to her paperwork.

Kat eventually dozed off. After about half an hour of silence, there was a knock at the office door, Amanda entered a couple moments after.

"Hey, Liv it's about-"

Amanda was cut off by Olivia grimacing. She looked at the brunette with a questioning look, Liv pointed to Kat who was stirring from her sleep on the couch. After a few seconds, Kat relaxed again and Olivia released a breath she didn't know she was holding. Amanda continued speaking, whispering this time.

"Last night there was a report of yelling coming from the Marino residence. Uniforms showed up and Mrs. Marino answered the door, plastered. They found Paige hiding in a closet. She wasn't hurt, just scared."

"Did they know what the yelling was about?" Olivia asked, worried.

"No, Marino just promised to keep it down."

"What the hell did we send this girl home to?"

"I don't know, but we should go check it out."

Olivia nodded, running a hand through her hair.

"Yeah, give me five minutes and we'll head out."

"You gonna wake her up?" Amanda motioned to the girl sleeping peacefully on the couch, she couldn't help but smile.

"No. I'll just leave her a note. She'll ask questions if I wake her up. I don't want her to worry about Paige when we don't even know the whole story."

Amanda nodded and left the room. Olivia grabbed a pen and a piece of paper, scribbling down a note for Kat. She grabbed her jacket and left her office. Closing the door as quietly as possible.

**/**

"Mrs. Marino, open up. It's Sergeant Benson and Detective Rollins!" Olivia yelled as she knocked on the door. The two detectives stood waiting for a few moments until Paige opened the door.

"Hey, darlin' can you let us in?" Amanda bent down so she was at Paige's eye level as she spoke.

Paige nodded and stepped aside, letting the two women into the apartment.

"Sweetheart, where's your mom?" Olivia asked, looking around at the seemingly empty apartment.

Paige shrugged.

"I don't know. I woke up and she was gone." Paige's voice sounded more mature, stronger.

"Does she do this often?" Olivia asked as Amanda looked around the apartment. Paige shrugged again and walked into the kitchen. Liv and Amanda followed her.

Paige perched herself on the counter, Liv leaned up against the entryway to the kitchen and Amanda sat on the counter next to Paige.

"When she drinks, she yells and then storms off. Sometimes she doesn't come back for a couple of days." Paige spoke as if she was having a normal conversation. Completely detached.

"What about school?" Amanda asked.

"I just don't go. I call in pretending to be her and say that I'm sick."

Olivia sighed.

"What was she yelling about last night?"

Paige looked down at her feet, which were dangling a good six inches off the floor.

"You can tell us, Paige." Amanda placed her hand on Paige's knee, causing the young girl to stiffen.

Before Amanda could pull her hand away, Paige relaxed again.

"She was yelling about the trial. She said that there was no way a jury would put Frank in jail. She said nobody cares about a little good-for-nothing ward of the state."

Olivia walked over to Paige and knelt down in front of her. Paige moved her gaze so her eyes met the detective's.

"Paige, I promise you. This man will go to jail for what he did to you. "

Amanda nodded in agreement and gently squeezed Paige's knee.

"Do you know where your mom might have gone?" Amanda asked. Paige shook her head.

"How about we take you down to the station. There is a certain person down at the precinct who I'm sure would be more than happy to keep you company while we try and find your mom."

Paige looked at Olivia questioningly for a second and then her face lit up like Christmas tree. Olivia and Amanda chuckled at her reaction. Paige jumped down from the counter and made her way out of the apartment, quickly followed by the two detectives.

**/**

Kat woke up in her mother's office to the same caffeine-deprivation headache, but no Olivia. Kat frowned and then she saw the note that was sitting at the edge of her mother's desk. It had her name written on the front in Olivia's hurried handwriting. Kat got up slowly and limped over to the desk, not even bothering to grab her crutches. She unfolded the piece of paper and read:

_Kat,_

_Amanda and I went to talk to Paige's mother. I shouldn't be gone long, I might even be back before you wake up. Nick and Fin are here if you need anything. Stay away from the coffee machine._

_ -Mom_

After reading the note, Kat got an idea. She limped over to the door and saw that Nick and Fin weren't in the squad room. The only person in the squad room was Officer Floyd and Kat only knew him because she and Mackenzie always wondered how he graduated from the academy. He sure as hell wasn't the smartest person on the planet. Kat opened the door of her mother's office and quickly made her way to the coffee machine. She didn't have her crutches, so instead of walking, she did a type of hopping-limp she knew she probably looked like an idiot.

Once she was at the coffee machine, Kat grabbed the mug that she designated as her own years ago and filled it with coffee. She could smell the coffee and it made her mouth water. Maybe she did have a slight problem. Just as she was about to take her first sip, a pair of hands came up over her shoulders and grabbed the mug from her hands. Kat would recognize those perfectly-manicured fingers anywhere. Alex. Kat tuned around to see her unofficial god mother standing in front of her. Alex laughed at the annoyed look.

"From what your mother told me, you aren't allowed to have coffee." Alex said, her eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, and I'm not allowed to kill you either, but since my coffee is in your hands instead of mine. I'm seriously considering it." Kat narrowed her eyes at the prosecutor.

Kat's statement earned another laugh from Alex.

"You know what, keep it. I don't care. I'm tired all of a sudden. My mom isn't here, she'll back soon. So if you need to talk to her, feel free to wait here."

Kat's voice was dripping with resentment. She never really forgave Alex for leaving for the Congo without saying goodbye. Kat understood that she was helping women in Africa, but she at least could have said goodbye. Especially since it was the second time she left, but how could Kat be mad at her for going into witness protection? Alex obviously had no control over that.

Kat began to make her way back to Olivia's office when she bumped her leg on Fin's desk. Right on her entry wound. Kat was about to fall to the ground in pain, but Alex caught her and set her in Fin's chair.

"Holy shit that hurt." Kat breathed deeply as she spoke, waiting for the pain to fade.

"You okay?" Alex perched herself on the side of Fin's desk. Kat nodded as her answer.

"So what do you need to talk to my mom about? Is it Paige's trial?"

"Actually, I came to talk to you." Alex shifted uncomfortably, like she did whenever she was about to have a personal conversation. Kat and Alex always shared a hatred for opening up to other people. Kat gave her a questioning look and Alex took a deep breath before speaking.

"I can't help but notice that you have been avoiding me for quite a while. Whenever your mother and I decide to do something together and invite you, you decline. Whenever I enter the room, you figure out a reason to leave. I'm just Alex now, not Aunt Alex. What happened. We used to be so close, Kat."

"I'm not having this conversation..." Kat started to get up, but Alex stopped her.

"Yes, you are." Alex's voice was firm, determined. Kat had never heard Alex speak to her that way.

"Okay, but I get coffee." Kat crossed her arms over her chest, she obviously wasn't budging on the subject. Alex sighed and handed her the mug. Kat took a greedy gulp, sighing with content.

"Kat, what did I do?" Alex moved so her bright blue eyes met Kat's brown ones.

"You left." Kat suddenly became very interested in her coffee, refusing to look at Alex.

"You mean when I went to Africa." Alex nodded as she began to understand.

"You never said goodbye. We were supposed to have dinner like we did every Thursday when my mom had to work late, but my mom told me you left."

"Kat, I didn't mean to hurt you." Alex's voice was full of remorse.

"I know. That's why I feel so shitty about it. You left to go do something _amazing_ and all I could think about was that you left again without saying goodbye. You were my best friend other than the squad, and you left. I just feel guilty because I'm being so selfish..." Kat's voice trailed off.

"Kat..." Alex put her hand under Kat's chin and forced the girl to look her in the eyes.

"You are not being selfish. I should have said goodbye. What I don't understand is why you never talked to me about this. We used to talk about everything. Why didn't you come to me?"

Kat shrugged before answering.

"I didn't think you cared anymore."

Alex closed her eyes to try and prevent her tears from spilling over. She failed miserably.

"Kat, I love you like I would my own daughter. There is a reason why I didn't say goodbye. I knew that if I looked into those brown eyes of yours, I wouldn't be able to leave. Don't ever think that I don't care. You can come to me with anything, at any time. Okay?"

Kat answered by putting down her coffee and lunging into Alex's arms.

"I love you, Aunt Alex."

Alex's heart filled with pride.

"I love you too, babe. Now, how about we start having dinner every Thursday again?"

Kat moved back from the hug and nodded, wiping away remaining tears. Alex was just about to say something when Olivia and Amanda walked into the squad room, followed by Paige.

"Katherine, I'm not even going to ask why you are out here and your crutches aren't." Olivia's voice was hard as she began to speak, but it softened once she saw the tears in both Kat's and Alex's eyes.

"Yeah, mom. Sorry. I just didn't want to use them." Kat composed herself as she saw Paige, forcing a smile as the girl ran over to hug her.

Olivia sighed, but gave a small smile anyway. Liv looked to Alex, who gave her a small nod. When Olivia saw the coffee, she went into Mamma Bear mode.

"Katherine, so help me God. If that is your coffee-"

"It's mine." Alex cut her off. She picked up the mug and took a sip, discretely winking at Kat.

"Oh... Okay. Sorry, sweetheart." Olivia had a look of remorse in her eyes, she was about to yell at Kat, who had done nothing wrong.

"It's okay, mom. I wouldn't put it past myself to drink coffee while you were gone." Kat gave her mother a quick smile. The teen turned to look at Paige, who was playing with the hem of her shirt.

"So what are you doing here, love?" Kat asked with a smile.

"My foster mom is missing or something I guess." Paige never made eye contact.

Kat was shocked at the way Paige didn't seem to be effected by this.

"I'm sure she's fine." Kat reassured the girl who just shrugged.

Alex cleared her throat to speak, earning everyone's attention.

"I should go, I have a lot to do before the trial." Alex nodded at the detectives and Paige. She bent down and kissed Kat on the temple, earning a smile from the teen.

"I'll pick you up at seven tomorrow?" Alex asked Kat.

"I'll be here."

Alex nodded and left. Olivia turned to Kat with one eyebrow raised.

"What's tomorrow?" The detective asked.

"Alex and I are going out to dinner like we used to."

Olivia smiled, remembering the conversation she had with Dr. Huang in the hospital elevator.

"I'm glad you two are working out your issues."

Olivia turned back to Amanda's computer screen, they were tracking Mrs. Marino's cell phone. Kat and Paige sat there talking for about forty minutes before Olivia interrupted them.

"Paige, we think we know where your foster mother is. Amanda and I are going to get her. Are you okay here with Kat?" Olivia's eyes moved to meet Kat's at the last part of her sentence. She wanted to make sure that Kat wasn't over-exerting herself.

"I think we'll be fine." Kat said, nodding.

"Okay. We'll be back soon."

With that, Amanda and Olivia grabbed their jackets and left. Five minutes later, Nick and Fin came back into the squad room. As the four sat there talking, Kat started to get tired again. She made sure that Paige was okay with being left with the two detectives, then excused herself. She limped over to the couch in her mother's office and closed her eyes, falling asleep in minutes.

**/**

**Okay, I hope you guys liked it! What do you think happened to Paige's foster mom? Please review! Y'all rock!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Well, here's chapter 25! Thank you all for your support! I hope you like it!**

**I own nothing! All characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC!**

**/**

_Blood, so much blood. Kat watched in horror as Jason made his way across the apartment to where Olivia lay unconscious. The gash on her head bleed profusely._

_"Jason, stop! Kill me, not her!" Kat pleaded, tears streaming down her face._

_Jason laughed darkly and nudged Olivia with his foot, causing the detective to wake up._

_"Kat..." Olivia's voice was weak._

_"Mom! Mom, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." Kat tried to break the bindings on her wrists that held her to the chair._

_Jason picked up Olivia's gun from the floor and held it directly to the older women's head._

_"Stop! Please! I'll do whatever you want, just let her go!" Kat kept pleading. Jason turned around and hit her with the gun in frustration._

_"You sent me to jail. You ruined my life, so now, I'm going to ruin yours." Jason walked back over to Olivia and repositioned the gun against her head. Olivia held her gaze on her daughter, Kat had tears streaming down her face._

_"I'm so sorry, mom. I'm sorry."_

_Kat expected her mother to reassure her, but instead, her eyes went cold._

_"This is your fault. You couldn't save me, you're the reason I'm going to die."_

_With that, Jason pulled the trigger. Within a second, Olivia's lifeless body fell to the floor, an entry wound right between her eyes._

**/**

"NO! MOM NO!"

The detectives heard Kat's screams from where they sat in the squad room. Without saying anything, Olivia ran into her office.

Kat had moved from where she slept on the couch. Now she was huddled in the corner, her knees tucked up to her chest. She was slowly rocking back and forth as tears came flooding from her eyes. Olivia slowly walked over to Kat, kneeling down in front of her.

Amanda, Nick, and Fin all came bursting through the door. They were about to rush to Kat's aid when Olivia held up her hand to stop them.

"It's the PTSD, it was just a nightmare. If we crowd her, she'll freak out again." Olivia turned to Kat, placing on hand on her daughter's knee, causing the girl to jump. Olivia quickly removed her hand.

"Katherine, baby. You're okay. You're in the squad room, you're safe."

Kat looked Olivia in the eyes. Olivia expected to see Kat's eyes filled with fear, but this time they were empty. It was like Kat didn't even recognize her mother. Olivia turned to Amanda.

"Amanda, I need you to call Dr. Huang. He's in the city for the week. " Amanda sensed the urgency in Olivia's voice and she rushed out.

"What's happening with her?" Nick's voice was filled with terror.

"I don't know. I think she's in shock. Usually when she wakes up from a nightmare, she just talks about it and then goes to sleep, but this is different."

"Do we need to call a bus?" Fin jumped in.

"No. I don't think so." Olivia was still focused on Kat.

Kat had stopped crying, her eyes were closed now. She was still rocking back and forth. Amanda came rushing back into the room.

"He's on his way. I told him what happened and he thinks he knows what's wrong. He said don't touch her, just talk to her. Liv should be the only one to talk to her."

Olivia nodded.

"Kat, baby. George is on his way. Can you talk to me?" Olivia's voice was pleading.

Kat opened her eyes again.

"It was my fault." Kat's voice was barely audible. Olivia was less than a foot away and she almost didn't hear it.

"Hey! What's goin' on in here?" Mackenzie came into the office. Fin grabbed her and clamped his hand over her mouth. When Mackenzie saw Kat huddled in the corner, she fought against him.

Amanda motioned for Fin and Nick to take her out, they did. Once they were gone, Amanda shut the door behind them. She looked out the window and saw Mackenzie staring at Kat as Fin explained what happened. Amanda wanted nothing more than to wrap Mackenzie in a hug and tell her that Kat was going to be okay, but how could she do that when she didn't know if it was true.

Olivia was staring at her daughter. For the first time in seventeen years, Olivia couldn't comfort her daughter. Usually all it took was being wrapped up in Olivia's arms to calm Kat down, but since Olivia can't touch Kat, she was at a loss.

Kat just kept her eyes closed as they waited. Mackenzie was staring through the window, Fin was pacing, Nick was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands, and Amanda sat and watched as Olivia stared at her traumatized daughter.

George Huang walked into Olivia's office quietly, asking Amanda to leave and shutting the door behind her.

"Olivia, I need you to let me speak to Katherine." George said quietly as he approached them.

Olivia turned to him.

"Can I stay in here?"

George knew that Olivia wasn't going to leave without a fight.

"Yes, you can stay, but I need you to sit on the couch and let me speak to her."

Olivia moved to the couch and George took Olivia's spot kneeling in front of Kat. Kat didn't acknowledge George at all.

"Katherine, what happened?" George's voice was soft and comforting. Kat opened her eyes and stared at him.

"You know who I am, right?" George hoped to God that the answer was yes, if it was no, then they had a whole different situation on their hands.

"Dr. Huang." Kat nodded as she spoke, her voice was still just above a whisper.

"That's right. Now can you tell me what happened?"

"It was all my fault." Kat began crying again, closing her eyes to stop the tears.

"What was all your fault? Kat, what happened in the dream?"

"It was so real. He was there, I begged him not to hurt her, I begged him to kill me instead."

Kat began sobbing, burying her face in her hands. George kept asking her questions.

"Kat, was your mother in the dream?" The doctor knew what the dream was about. He knew the connection that Olivia and Kat had was complex. Not only were they mother and daughter, they were best friends, they protected each other. If something happened to one, the other would feel as though they failed.

Olivia's heart broke as she realized what had happened.

"George, does she think that the dream was real?" Olivia asked, fighting tears.

"I think she did at first, but she's coming out of it."

"I failed her." Kat said, earning the adults' attention.

"Kat, I need you to tell me who you failed. Tell me what happened."

"My mom. Jason killed her, and I couldn't stop him. She told me I was the reason she died, and she was right. I's all my fault. It was my job to save her." Kat began sobbing again.

Dr. Huang put his hand on Kat's shoulder, grabbing her attention.

"Katherine, you did not fail your mother. She is okay. You know she's alive, she is sitting right there."

George pointed to Olivia who was sitting on the arm of the couch, dying to take Kat in her arms. Relief flooded Kat's expression and she shot up from the floor, almost knocking Olivia off of the couch when she landed in her mother's arms.

"I'm so sorry." Kat sobbed into Olivia's shoulder.

"No, baby. You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm here and I'm fine."

Olivia moved onto one of the couch cushions, Kat still in her arms. She looked to George who just nodded and left the room. Kat continued to sob and apologize, Olivia continued to tell her that there was no reason to be sorry. After a good twenty minutes, Kat calmed down.

Olivia knew that Kat would ask about Paige sooner or later, so she decided to break the news to her now, like ripping off a band aid.

"Kat, honey. I need to tell you something." Kat moved out of her mother's arms and shot her a questioning look. Olivia took a deep breath before continuing.

"We found Paige's foster mother while you were asleep..."

"That's a good thing, right?" Kat's voice was back to its normal volume again, but it lacked its usual confidence.

"We found her in an alley, she was raped and beaten to death."

Kat's breath caught in her throat and tears stung her eyes.

"Where's Paige?" Kat feared the answer.

Liv ran her hand through her hair.

"We had to call her social worker. They placed her in another foster home."

"Okay, so she's still in the city. She can still testify." Kat was staring at Olivia, not knowing where her mother was going with this.

"Kat, there weren't any open foster homes in the city."

Kat stood up from where she sat and began pacing.

"So where is she?"

"They took her to New Jersey, she had family there."

"Why didn't they step forward ten years ago?!" Kat was fuming.

"Katherine, you need to calm down."

"I don't want to calm down, mom! It's Calvin all over again! They took him to New Jersey with his family and we haven't seen him in three years!"

Olivia grimaced at the mention of Calvin, Kat never talked about him. He was the closest thing she had to a brother and it was hard for her to talk about. Kat stopped pacing and took a deep breath.

"Can she still testify?"

"Her family said that they would consider bringing her back for the trial."

"They aren't even letting her testify?!" Kat started pacing again and Olivia got up, standing in front of Kat and placing her hands on her shoulders.

"We don't know that yet. They might bring her for the trial."

"I promised her he would go to jail." Kat whispered as she hugged Olivia again.

"I did too. We still have the DNA that he left and forensic evidence put him at the scene. He's going to pay for what he did."

"Where are you on Mrs. Marino's case?"

Olivia sighed.

"Warner is doing the autopsy in the morning. When you find a body in an alley, there isn't much forensic evidence that hasn't already been contaminated."

"How did Paige take it?"

"She seemed indifferent to the matter."

Kat sighed and removed herself from Olivia's arms.

"I should have been there, but instead I was asleep. She needed me and I was asleep."

"She was the one that told us not to wake you up. I think she knew that Mrs. Marino would end up dead eventually."

"That poor girl. She just can't catch a break."

Kat walked over to the couch and sat down, putting her head in her hands. Olivia sat down next to her and rubbed her back.

"Right now my main concern is you. Are you okay?"

"I think so. I just want to go home." Kat brought her head up from her hands and turned to Olivia.

"You have to stay here and work the case, don't you." Kat worked to hide the disappointment in her voice, but failed.

Olivia nodded.

"I'm so sorry. I know you need me. I called Alex and she is coming to get you. She'll drive you home and stay with you tonight."

"I don't need her to stay." Kat protested.

Olivia chuckled and ran her hand over Kat's long brown hair.

"I do. I have to make sure that you get enough sleep."

Kat sighed and rested her head on Olivia's shoulder, closing her eyes. Olivia smiled and settled into the leather couch, allowing Kat to sleep for another half an hour until Alex showed up.

Once Kat had woken up fully, said her goodbyes, and reassured everyone that she was okay, she and Alex left. The car ride was quiet, a comfortable quiet. The Benson apartment looked like nobody had been in it for days. Considering Kat was the only one who had been there for the past three days other than last night when Kat got home from the hospital and Olivia had insisted on not going back to work.

Kat changed into her pajamas, letting Alex borrow a pair of her sweat pants and a t-shirt. Wordlessly, she went into Olivia's room and crawled into bed. Alex followed her in with her eyes, making sure that the teen got settled and fell asleep alright. The attorney watched Kat sleep for forty-five minutes before her eyelids began to get heavy. With a tired sigh, Alex got comfortable on the couch and fell asleep, hoping that Kat would be able to sleep peacefully for once since this all started.

**/**

**We never got to go inside one of Kat's nightmares before so I thought this would be a good opportunity. I have an idea to bring a character who we haven't seen in a long time back, but I don't know of a good situation to justify it. If you think you know who it is, put it in the reviews of send me a direct message. Please Review! Thanks guys!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26! I hope you like it!**

**I own nothing, all characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC!**

**/**

Olivia walked into her apartment at three o'clock in the morning. She had spent all night going through Angela Marino's life with a fine-toothed comb. The team had made little progress and there was not much else they could do, so Olivia sent everyone home and left about an hour after they had.

Liv threw her keys, phone, and purse on the counter, waking Alex up in the process. Alex got up from the couch and leaned against the kitchen counter, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Has she been asleep all night?" Olivia asked as she walked over to Kat's bedroom.

"Yes, but not in there." Alex replied.

Olivia stopped with her hand on Kat's bedroom door. She turned to the blond in the kitchen who casually pointed over to the detective's room. Olivia peered through the doorway to find Kat asleep in her bed. Olivia couldn't help but smile at the way Kat was hugging Olivia's pillow as it her life depended on it.

"She grabbed the pillow in her sleep. I tried to get her to let go, but I don't think anyone could have pried it from her arms." Alex yawned as she spoke.

"Thanks for staying with her." Olivia's voice was full of gratitude.

"It was no problem, she shouldn't be alone right now." Alex grabbed her things as she spoke.

"Well, I should get going. I'll pick Kat up tonight at seven outside the precinct."

"Oh yeah, you two have dinner." Olivia nodded as she remembered.

"That we do. Goodnight Olivia."

"Goodnight Alex, thanks again."

Alex smiled as she closed the door behind her.

Olivia yawned as she made her way into her room, placing her gun and her badge in the drawer of her nightstand. The detective changed into her pajamas and walked over to the side of her bed, smiling at how peaceful Kat looked. Olivia ran her hand through Kat's hair, causing the teen to wake up slightly. Kat let out a low groan, earning a laugh from Olivia.

"You know you have a bed, right." Olivia joked.

"Yeah. Sorry, I'll leave." Kat's voice was quiet and laced with hurt.

Kat started to get up, but Olivia stopped her.

"I was joking, sweetheart. " Olivia used the whisper that she used when she was talking to traumatized victims.

"Oh..." Kat gave a small, half-hearted smile and settled back onto Olivia's bed. Olivia settled next to her. The two Bensons laid on their sides, facing each other. Olivia was the first to speak.

"Are you okay?"

Kat sighed and buried her face in her pillow.

"Nope." She put emphasis on the 'p' so it popped.

Olivia sat up and started rubbing circles on Kat's back.

"It's late. Go to sleep. I'll be okay." Kat's voice was muffled by the pillow.

"I don't believe you." Olivia hummed.

"Your faith in me is touching." Kat's voice practically dripped with sarcasm, earning a laugh from Olivia.

"I have faith in _you_, just not your judgment on what _fine_ is."

Olivia felt Kat tense as she spoke.

"I'm almost never fine anymore..."

Olivia sighed sadly, still tracing circles on Kat's back.

"Talk to me." Olivia's voice told Kat that it wasn't a suggestion.

"Isn't that what I'm doing?"

Olivia pulled the pillow out from under Kat's face and hit her with it, earning a full-hearted laugh from the teen.

"Katherine Benson, you know what I mean." Olivia said as she laughed at the look Kat was giving her.

Kat took a deep breath and flipped over onto her back, folding her hands under her head. Purposely elbowing Olivia lightly in the process, earning a mocking gasp.

"I don't know what to talk about. We can talk about how _horrible_ Fin's hair was when he had the ponytail." Kat chuckled as she finished the sentence.

It took all of Olivia's self control to not burst into laughter at what Kat had said.

"Or we can talk about the nightmare you had this evening."

Kat's smile faded and her eyes went cold.

"No." Kat's voice broke as she said the word.

"Kat-" Olivia was cut off by Kat's frantic voice.

"No. I don't want to talk about it. If I talk about it, I'll relive it and I can't do that. I won't be able to handle it." Kat began to hyperventilate.

"Okay. Okay, we don't have to talk about it. Just calm down. Breathe, just breathe." Olivia was running her hand through Kat's hair.

Kat took slow breathes until she could fully control her breathing again. Olivia was still mindlessly running her hand through Kat's hair.

"So how's Mason?" Olivia asked the question as a last resort.

"Yeah, I don't think that's gonna work out." Kat seemed indifferent to the matter.

"And why is that?"

Kat took a deep breath and ran her hand over her eyes.

"I don't know. I like him, but I don't trust him."

"You don't trust anyone, Katherine." Olivia rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"That's not true! I trust you, the squad, Mack, Munch, Cragen, Alex, Casey, and Melinda. "

"Yeah, and do you remember what you told Nick when you first met him?"

"Of course I do. I clearly told him that I didn't trust him and if he let anything happen to you I would strangle him with the chain that he wears his badge on. But that's different because Nick turned down donuts. You can't trust a cop who doesn't eat donuts." Kat spoke with a proud smile.

"And what did you tell Amanda?"

"I told her that I would have no problem with kicking her ass all the way back to Georgia if she let anything happen to you or Fin." Kat narrowed her eyes in thought. "Maybe that one was a little bit too much." Kat chuckled, as did Olivia.

"Yeah. Maybe a little bit."

"The funny part is that they thought I was joking." Kat spoke through her laughter.

That laughing faded out and Kat spoke again.

"But seriously, I just don't trust him. Especially since he just got out of juvie a week before he asked me out."

Olivia immediately straightened from her relaxed position against the headboard and stared at Kat with wide eyes.

"He what?!"

Kat tried to hold her laughter in, but she failed miserably. She was laughing so hard that she couldn't breathe and tears were streaming down her face. Olivia realized that it had been a joke and she threw another pillow at the hysterical teen. Kat composed herself and wiped the tears from her face. Olivia let out a sigh and settled into her side of the bed.

"Get some sleep, Kat. We have to be at the precinct by nine tomorrow." Olivia's voice was cold, but Kat could tell that Olivia was hiding a grin.

"Alright." Kat laid down on her side of the bed and turned so her back was to her mother. The room was silent for five minutes before Kat spoke again.

"Just because of the way you reacted, I'm gonna start dating juvenile delinquents."

Olivia huffed a sigh before speaking.

"If you do, you will be grounded until you are forty."

Kat chuckled.

"Goodnight Katherine." Olivia mocked an exasperated tone, earning a chuckle from Kat.

"Goodnight Mom."

**/**

**Okay, so this chapter was light-hearted. The next couple chapters are going to be pretty heavy, so prepare yourselves! Please review! I hope you guys liked it! I know it was a little short, but the next few will probably be longer.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Thank you all so much for the feedback and support! It means a lot! Wow, 27 chapters...I never thought it would go this far! You guys rock! I hope you enjoy chapter 27! Thanks again!**

**/**

Dinner with Alex was not something that Kat ever thought she would be nervous for, that is until an hour before Alex was scheduled to pick her up. Kat sat in the SVU squad room, staring at the evidence board, her knee bouncing nervously.

"Fin, did you track down her dealer?" Amanda's voice stood out over the noise in the squad room.

"Yeah. I crossed paths with him while I was still in narcotics. Low-end cocaine dealer, Arthur Proctor." Fin sauntered up to the evidence board and pinned Proctor's mug-shot in the left hand corner.

"Nick, what about the owner of the bar?" Liv asked as she sat down next to Kat and placed her hand on Kat's knee to steady it.

"He and a few other witnesses saw Angela talking to some guy, but nobody thought anything of it so they didn't pay attention. All I got was that he was tall, dark hair, young, well-dressed, and he was obnoxiously loud."

"Everybody in that bar was obnoxiously loud. They were all either strung-out, hammered, or both." Fin said running a hand over his bald head.

"Wait, he was well- dressed?" Kat asked, moving her gaze from the evidence board to Nick who nodded and gave her a questioning look.

"What about it?" Amanda asked, coming up to stand by Nick.

"Like Fin said, everybody in that bar is either strung-out or drunk. I don't think many of them would be wearing a suit." Kat looked to all of the detectives who were nodding along with what she was saying. Olivia looked deep in thought. Kat got up from where she sat and continued talking.

"We could be looking at someone who uses the fact that he looks rich to lure women in."

"_Women?_ You think there could be more than one victim?" Olivia raised her eyebrow in question as she spoke.

Kat turned to the evidence board and sighed as she ran her hand through her hair.

"I don't know. I think this was the first kill. He hesitated with some of the stab wounds. Whoever did this isn't bothered by blood or gore, but he hesitated with the actual _murder_ aspect of the whole thing."

"Power rapist?" Amanda asked.

"Revenge." Olivia said from where she sat. "There was overkill, so after he got comfortable with killing, he got carried away. This was fueled by anger, I think he knew that Angela Marino was in that bar and I think he wanted to kill her specifically."

The detectives went silent in thought. Kat was staring at her feet when a man in a suit came into the squad room.

"Katherine Benson?" The man called out to the entire room.

"Right here." Kat held up her hand and the man walked over to her.

He handed her an envelope, gave her a small nod, and left. Kat opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper and read to herself, all of the detectives looking at her with confused looks. Kat's eyes went wide with fear.

"Kat, what is it?" Nick asked, slightly irritated.

Before anyone could ask another question, the sound f Kat's crutches hitting the floor rang through the squad room. Without thinking, the young girl took off running, not paying any attention to the pain in her leg. As Kat was fleeing, she blew past a very confused Alex Cabot

"Kat!" Alex yelled after her.

Alex looked down and saw a piece of paper that Kat dropped. As she read it, it felt like her veins were being filled with ice water. Alex dropped her briefcase and her hand flew up to her mouth, the other still clutching the piece of paper. The ADA didn't even look up as she heard Olivia and Amanda come running up to her.

Amanda was the first to stop by Alex, Olivia had kept running for about five feet before Alex was able to choke out a word to stop her.

"Liv..." Tears were slowly making their way down Alex's face as the detective quickly made her way back towards the two blondes and grabbed the piece of paper out of Alex's hands. She scanned her eyes over the top, seeing that it read _New York State Department of Corrections_ at the top, she slowed down to fully take in what the paper said.

_Katherine Benson, _

_This is a letter informing you that Jason Larkin has escaped from custody at Rikers Correctional Facility. The previous restraining order that you have placed against said inmate still stands. If you feel as though your life is in danger, please contact local police._

The rest of the letter had numbers to call and legal information. It took all of Olivia's strength not to get in her car, drive down to Rikers, and beat every guard in that place senseless for letting Jason escape.

"Amanda, go home, get Mackenzie. Bring her back here. He's going to go for her before he goes for Kat. Tell Nick to meet me outside, have Fin track Kat's phone."

"Liv, what the hell is going on?" Amanda's voice was frantic.

"He's out. Jason's out." Was all Olivia said as the elevator doors closed.

Amanda took off into the squad room and barked the exact orders that Liv had given her to Nick and Fin. Nick grabbed his coat and took off running towards the elevator. Amanda pulled out her phone as she ran after him. She needed to make sure Mackenzie was alright. The phone rang four times before Mackenzie answered.

"Hey, Mama. What's up?" Mack's voice was relaxed, it broke Amanda's heart to know that her daughter wouldn't feel that way for much longer.

"Mackenzie, listen to me. You lock the apartment door and don't open it for anyone. My revolver is in the safe in my closet. The combination is my badge number. You know how to use it, and you will if you have to. I will be home in a few minutes."

"Mom, what's going on?" Mackenzie's voice instantly changed to frantic and Amanda could tell she was holding back tears.

"Jason escaped Rikers. I'm coming home to bring you back here. Stay put, it'll be okay." Amanda tried to reassure her daughter, but she knew she was failing.

"Wait. Where's Kat?"

Amanda hesitated with the answer, her eyes filling with tears. Mackenzie's voice on the phone made her jump.

"Mom! Where. Is. Kat?!"

"We don't know."

Amanda ran to her car after hanging up the phone. She turned the car on and slapped to siren light to the dash.

Amanda Rollins had never driven that fast in her entire life.

**/**

**Okay, so I guess all I can say after that is... BOOM! I bet y'all didn't see that one comin'. Haha, sorry. I'm really jacked up on coffee, so I'm taking it out on my keyboard. I'm sorry this chapter was so short, I'm gonna do a double (maybe triple) update tomorrow and the chapters are gonna be super long! Sound good? Alright! Thanks y'all!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Okay, so here is Chapter 28! Enjoy y'all!**

**/**

'_Hey, you've reached Kat's cell. I'm either busy or avoiding your call. You know what to do after the beep.'_

Olivia cursed as she got Kat's voicemail again. She had called fifteen times already. Kat had been missing for nearly two hours and it was dark outside, the only light coming from what the city provided.

Nick removed his eyes from the road and looked over to his partner, noting the tears in her eyes. He reached over and covered Olivia's hand with his own. She gave him a questioning look, but didn't verbally question it. After a second, her gaze moved back out the window.

"Liv, we'll find her." Nick assured, giving Olivia's hand a squeeze.

"We've looked in every place that she goes. Every place where she would feel safe." Olivia shook her head as she spoke.

"We haven't looked at in your apartment." Nick suggested.

Olivia scoffed and ran her free hand over her face.

"She wouldn't go there, she doesn't want to be found. Maybe we c-"

Olivia was cut off by her phone ringing. She frowned in confusion when Don Cragen's name flashed on the screen. She answered and covered the anxiety in her voice as she spoke.

"Hey, Captain." Olivia answered with a questioning tone.

'_Liv, would you like to tell me why my honorary granddaughter showed up at my apartment?' _Don's voice was laced with concern.

Olivia let out a sigh of relief. Nick looked at her with a hopeful look and Olivia nodded. Nick smiled and turned around, heading to Don's apartment.

"Is she okay?" Olivia felt dumb asking the question. Of course she wasn't okay.

The line was quiet, adding to Olivia's concern.

"Don! Is my daughter alright?" Olivia was practically yelling into the phone. Nick squeezed her hand again to try and calm her down.

Cragen sighed before answering.

_'You should wait to see for yourself.'_

Olivia's breath hitched. She choked out a thank you and ended the call. Throwing her phone onto the dash of the car in frustration.

"I told you we'd find her." Nick said with a small smile.

"But in what condition are we finding her?" Olivia asked the question with her gaze still out the window.

**/**

Amanda sat on a bed in the precinct crib, Mackenzie's head in her lap. The detective was running her hand through her daughter's hair mindlessly. Mackenzie had been adamant about staying up until she knew that Kat was safe, but Amanda had managed to convince her to go to sleep. On the condition that the teen be woken up if they got any news.

Amanda's phone buzzed where it lay on her knee. Since Mack was dead to the world, the noise didn't wake her. Slowly, Amanda reached for her phone and answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Rollins." Amanda whispered as her answer.

Olivia's worried voice came through from the other end.

_'We found her. She went to Cragen's apartment. We're on our way there now."_

Amanda let out a relieved sigh and finally let herself relax. After a second, confusion hit her.

"Why do you still sound worried?"

Amanda heard a distressed sigh from Olivia.

_'I asked if she was okay and Cragen just told me that I need to wait and see for myself.'_

Amanda was about to speak, but Olivia cut her off.

_'We're at Don's apartment now. I don't know how long this will take.'_

Amanda sighed and noted the frustration in her friend's voice.

"Alright. Good luck. And Liv?"

_'Yeah?'_

"Just...stay strong. We'll all get through this."

Without replying, Olivia hung up.

**/**

After flashing the doorman her badge, Olivia didn't even bother with taking the elevator to Donald Cragen's apartment. Taking the stairs two at a time, it took her less than two minutes to make it to the door of her old captain's apartment. Before she could even knock, the door flew open. Don Cragen stood in the doorway.

"How did you-"

"I could sense your worry before you even made it into the building." Cragen gave a sad smile with the joke.

He stepped aside and Olivia walked into the apartment. Nick followed her in, he had given Liv a head start so he made it to the apartment a while after she did.

"Where is she?" Olivia's voice broke.

Cragen sadly motioned for the two detectives to follow. They came to a stop at a door and Cragen opened it. Olivia's heart broke at the sight in front of her.

Kat was sitting on the floor with her ankles crossed and her knees pulled up to her chest. Sitting in front of her was Ilene. The woman hadn't known Kat for long, but once she had seen how much Don loved the girl, she couldn't help but love her too. Ilene was speaking to Kat quietly, but the teen wasn't answering; she was just staring at the opposite wall. Her eyes were glazed over, her hair disheveled. Olivia knew that look all too well.

"She's drunk..." Liv spoke sadly, shaking her head.

"She hasn't spoken at all. Ilene has been trying to talk to her, but nothing works. " Don's voice was soft and full of sadness.

Hearing the voices behind her, Ilene turned around and gave Olivia a sad smile. She got up from where she sat and walked over to the detective, wrapping her into a hug.

Olivia felt Nick move past them through the door. She watched Nick as he knelt down in front of Kat, right in the girl's line of sight. His light brown eyes met Kat's chocolate brown ones. Without warning, Kat shot up from her spot on the floor and ran for the bathroom that was connected to the bedroom. Olivia removed herself from the hug and ran in after her daughter, who was emptying her stomach contents, which was mainly alcohol, into the toilet. Olivia was ready to comfort her daughter, but Nick beat her to it. When she entered the bathroom, Nick was holding Kat's hair. He had his free hand on her back, comforting the girl.

When Kat was finished, Olivia moved to her daughter, sinking down in front of her on the bathroom floor. Kat didn't say anything and she didn't have to, Olivia could see the pain and regret in Kat's eyes. Kat had promised her mother that she wouldn't drink again until she was twenty one and Olivia knew that she had every intention of keeping that promise, but with Jason escaping, Kat turned to alcohol to numb the fear.

Kat just sat there, staring at Olivia. She was there, but at the same time, she wasn't. Olivia could smell the alcohol on Kat, which just brought back memories from her childhood. Nick came up behind Kat and lifted her off of the floor and into his arms like he did the night she got sick at the precinct. Kat immediately went rigid in Nick's arms, but Nick didn't let go.

Nick carried Kat out of the apartment with Olivia on his heels. Liv stopped in the doorway and turned to the couple standing behind her, they both looked beyond worried.

"I'm sorry she-"

Cragen held up his hand to stop Olivia's apology. With a very serious look on his face, he moved towards the detective.

"Olivia, you and Katherine are family. I am glad she came here, I'm just sorry that she has to go through this again."

Olivia gave him a teary-eyed nod and followed after Nick.

They made it down to the car and Olivia slid into the far end of the backseat. Nick placed Kat in next to her mother. Both detectives expected Kat to move as close to Olivia as she could, but instead she stayed on the opposite end of the backseat. Olivia held back her tears and looked to Nick who just gave a sad shrug and shut the door.

The ride back to the precinct was painfully quiet. Olivia just stared worriedly at her daughter, who refused to look at either of the detectives. Nick would occasionally look back at the two women in the rear-view mirror, struggling to control his emotions. Kat was finally getting better and now all of her progress was out the window.

When they got to the precinct, Nick parked the car and got out to assist Kat, but before he could make it to her side she was already out of the car. She stumbled about ten feet before losing her footing on the ice. Before she could hit the ground, Olivia and Nick were there to catch her. Kat gave a sigh of defeat and stood still so Nick could pick her up again. Olivia rushed to the door and held it open so her partner could carry her daughter to the elevator.

Kat buried her face in Nick's shoulder when she sensed everyone's eyes on her. Every single cop and detective on the first floor of the precinct was staring at the drunken girl in Nick's arms. Nick and Olivia gave them all death glares and continued to the elevator. Once they were inside, Olivia pressed the button for the SVU floor and turned to her daughter, deciding to break the silence.

"Katherine, talk to us." Olivia pleaded, trying to establish eye contact with Kat, but the girl just looked down at her hands.

Nick's grip tightened around Kat as the elevator doors opened. He and Liv knew that Kat didn't want anyone in the squad to see her like this, but she wasn't safe anywhere else. Fin froze where he stood at the sight on front of him. Olivia walked hurriedly into the squad room, followed by Nick who had Kat in his arms. Olivia was fighting tears, she didn't look mad, she just looked insanely worried. Nick looked pissed, not at Kat, at the world. Kat looked...drained of all hope.

Liv walked into her office and come out with a bottle of water and a bottle of aspirin.

"Liv..." Fin spoke softly.

Olivia stopped in her tracks turned to Fin. Her eyes were filled with tears, fear, and pure exhaustion.

"Not right now, Fin." Liv's voice was barely a whisper.

The female detective broke into a run and made her way up to the cribs after Nick. When she made it to the crib, she rushed to Kat's aid.

Kat was sitting on the edge of one of the cots in the room, staring at her feet. Amanda was sitting next to her, rubbing circles on the young girl's back. Mackenzie was just staring at her best friend, dumbfounded. She had never seen anyone so empty and broken. Nick had left the room right after placing Kat on the cot.

Olivia walked up to Kat and knelt down in front of her, her concern growing when Kat didn't even acknowledge her presence. The detective reached for Kat's hand, but the teen pulled it away. Amanda grabbed Kat's arm and held it out so the girl's palm was facing up. Olivia unscrewed the aspirin and placed two in Kat's upturned palm. Kat popped the two pills and swallowed before her mother could hand her the bottle of water. Amanda and Olivia frowned.

Olivia held out the bottle of water to her daughter. The teen just shook her head.

Olivia sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

"You need to drink water, Kat. And you need to talk to us." Olivia placed her hand on her daughter's knee. Kat stared at the detective's hand, jumping when Mackenzie started to yell.

"God Damn It! Say something!" Mackenzie jumped up from where she sat and moved over so she was standing right in front of Kat.

"Mackenzie, stop." Amanda scolded, causing the teen to become even more furious.

"No! I won't stop! This is fucking ridiculous!" Mackenzie began pacing and Amanda tried to console her. Amanda and Olivia noticed that the yelling was just making Kat shut down even more, Mack would have too if she wasn't so angry.

Kat just sat there, staring at her hands, refusing to look at anyone in the room.

"Would you at least _look_ at one of us? Let us know that you're still in there?! We get it, you're scared. There is a psychopath out there trying to kill you. News flash! We're scared too, but you don't see us disappearing for two hours, getting plastered, and then completely shutting down! What the hell happened to the Katherine Benson that we all know? Huh?" Mackenzie stopped pacing and bent at the waist so her face was centimeters away from her best friend's.

Nick and Fin had heard the yelling, so they rushed in just in time to see the youngest Rollins in the youngest Benson's face. One teen was filled with rage, the other had her eyes closed like she was trying to pretend that none of this was happening.

"Alright, Mack. You're done." Fin walked up to Mackenzie and threw her over his shoulder, carrying her out of the crib. The teen kept yelling as they left.

"Wake up, Benson! You can't hide from this!"

The rest of Mackenzie's rant was cut off by Nick slamming the door to the crib, causing Kat to jump. Amanda sighed and began talking, tripping over her words. The blonde's face had turned a bright shade of red.

"I'm sorry. I don't-I don't know what happened." Amanda stopped rambling and exited the room, leaving the two Bensons alone.

Liv moved so she was sitting next to Kat on the cot. Olivia went to grab Kat's hands, but once again, she moved her hands out of reach. Olivia sighed and put her head in her hands, elbows rested on her knees. After taking a deep breath, Olivia looked to her daughter once more.

"Alright. You need to listen to me. Do you remember what you promised me a few months back? You promised me that you would never leave me. You told me that you would never give up on me. Now I'm telling you the same thing." Olivia paused and pushed Kat's chin up, forcing the teen to look at her, then continued.

"I am not giving up on you. Ever. I love you too much, but I can't help but feel like I'm losing you. The Katherine I know wouldn't shut down like this. She would be down in that squad room working to find the person who wants to hurt her. She would _not_ let someone ruin her life like this."

Olivia searched for a sign of any emotion in her daughter's eyes. Once she realized that she was getting nowhere, Olivia heaved a sigh and stood up.

"You need to sleep. I'll be down in the squad room if you need me, I'll come up to make sure you're alright in about an hour. I want that bottle of water gone when I do."

Kat didn't show any sign that she was paying attention. She just laid down on the cot and closed her eyes. Olivia bent down and kissed Kat on the forehead, ignoring the smell of whiskey that came with the close proximity.

"Goodnight, I love you. Don't you ever doubt that."

The detective didn't get any response and realized that Kat had passed out. Sighing, Olivia left the crib, taking one last look at her daughter before shutting the door. The second her feet hit the floor of the squad room, she went into Sergeant Mode. The detectives all gave her worried glances and she shrugged them off, all except for the youngest Rollins who's eyes were burning holes in her back. After about a minute, she felt someone come up behind her. She turned around to find Mackenzie distraught and visibly still somewhat angry. Before Liv could say anything, Mackenzie looked her straight in the eyes, all of the detectives watching them. Feeling like she was going to explode, Olivia ran out of the squad room and locked herself in an interrogation room, finally allowing herself to break down.

**/**

**This chapter was surprisingly hard to write. Hope y'all liked it! Please review!**


	29. Chapter 29

**I know, I didn't update yesterday, I'm sorry. I was suffering from major writer's block and my family is composed of assholes so I didn't get a chance to lock myself away and write until I was happy enough to post something! Just stay with me, I'll try my best to update as often as possible, maybe even multiple times a day! Okay, with that said, here is chapter 29! Enjoy! Thank you all!**

**I own nothing, all characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC.**

***This chapter starts with a flashback**

**/**

_Amanda's heart was beating uncontrollably, a million scenarios running through her head. Only a few ended well. The pushed horrific images out of her head as she drove, Mackenzie would be fine; Wouldn't she?_

_The second Amanda pulled up in front of her apartment building, she slammed the car into park and got out, barely bothering to shut the door. She sprinted up to the building, completely disregarding the elevator and sprinting up the stair. Once she go to her floor, she took her gun from its holster on her hip and took a deep breath. Slowly, the detective made her way to her apartment door, some of her concern fading when she saw that the door was closed and locked. She pulled out her key and unlocked the door, all the while keeping her gun drawn. _

_As she opened the door, Amanda heard the sound of claws lightly scraping on the hardwood floors. Frannie. Amanda turned on the lights and found her dog standing in front of her, the dog's tail wagging slowly._

_"Where is she, Fran?" Amanda asked excitedly in order to get Frannie's attention._

_As if understanding completely, Frannie trotted down the hallway, stopping in front of Mackenzie's bedroom door. Amanda slowly lifted her hand and knocked on the door. She heard shuffling in the room as she did._

_"Mackenzie, its mom. I'm coming in." Amanda spoke in the softest voice she could._

_When she opened the door, Amanda's heart dropped into her stomach. Mackenzie's eyes were wide with fear. The teen had the revolver in her hand, pointed directly at Amanda, her hands were shaking uncontrollably. The detective held up her hands in surrender and locked eyes with her daughter._

_"Mack, honey. Put the gun down." Amanda's voice cracked as she finished her sentence._

_Mackenzie seemed to be snapped back to reality by her mother's voice. The teen lowered the gun and Amanda grabbed it, tucking it in the back of her jeans. _

_Mack's knees buckled and Amanda wrapped her arms around her daughter, bringing her down to the ground slowly. She held the teen as she sobbed, Amanda couldn't hold back her tears as they flowed from her eyes._

_"When will all of this be over?" The youngest Rollins choked out._

_"I don't know, hon. I don't know..." Amanda closed her eyes tightly to stop the tears and tightened her grip around Mackenzie._

**/**

Amanda was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of heels clacking on the squad room floor. Alex Cabot came barreling into the squad room, her eyes wide. Melinda Warner followed in after the ADA; Olivia had called her to check on Kat.

"Where is she?" Alex asked, she was beyond worried about Kat.

Amanda stood up and walked towards the crib. The two women caught on and followed.

In the crib sat Olivia, Mackenzie, and a barely lucid Kat. Over a course of an hour, Kat had gotten extremely sick and if Mackenzie hadn't felt bad about what she said earlier and gone up to apologize, no one would have known.

Mackenzie sat on the edge of one of the top bunks, her elbow rested on her knees and her chin rested on her hands. Olivia was sitting next to Kat on one of the cots. Kat was curled up in the fetal position, clutching her stomach.

Alex's eyes found Kat and her heart broke.

"Oh my god, Kat." Alex whispered, coming up to sit behind Kat, running her hand through the young girl's hair, only to find that it was drenched in sweat.

Melinda walked over to the teen and knelt down in front of her, looking to Olivia.

"How many times has she thrown up?" Melinda's eyes were focused on the Sergeant, who was obviously consumed with worry.

"Eight in the last forty-five minutes." Olivia answered, searching Melinda's face for any information.

Melinda shook her head and placed her hand on Kat's cheek, causing the young Benson's eyes to open. She gave a weak smile.

"Hey Mel, welcome to the party. Sorry there isn't any booze, I kinda drank it all." Kat joked. The humor only resonated in her voice, everything else about her showed how miserable she was.

"Hey, love. How much did you drink?" Melinda's voice was soft, but firm at the same time.

Kat groaned at the thought of alcohol. The three women around her stiffened, thinking she would throw up again, but relaxed as much as they could started to answer.

"Four shots whiskey, one shot vodka, one Jack n coke. Sleazy bar, it was more like Jack with a splash of soda." Kat tried to roll over, but regretted the decision when her stomach churned.

"Liv, we should get her to the hospital." Melinda whispered, but Kat heard nonetheless.

Before anyone could answer, Kat groaned again.

"No, no moving. Please." Kat let out whimper and Olivia sighed.

The detective was no stranger to being around someone so drunk that they were sick, of course. Her mother often drank herself to the point where she vomited, but it was never so bad that she showed actual physical _pain._

Olivia's eyes filled with tears, she turned to Melinda, who's eyes were also misty. The brunette gave her friend a pleading look and the ME nodded.

"Alright, but you're gonna have to stay awake until the alcohol is out of your system."

Kat nodded slowly.

"It hurts Mel." Kat's voice was weak and pleading.

"What hurts, baby?" Melinda asked.

"Everything. Make it stop. Please make it stop." Kat gasped as she felt her stomach churn.

Alex stopped running her hand through Kat's hair, earning another whimper from the teen. Alex noticed and started again. Kat gave a small sigh.

"Is there anything you can do?" Olivia asked in a pained voice. Even though she was disappointed in Kat for drinking, it killed her to see her daughter like this.

"I can give her pain killers, but they will make her drowsy. Somebody would have to stay with her and keep her awake. If we let her fall asleep, she could aspirate on her own vomit."

Kat gave slight chuckle.

"What fun." The teen said in a darkly sarcastic tone.

"I'll do it. I can keep her awake." Olivia said, tears running down her cheeks.

"I can too." Mackenzie said, jumping down from the bunk bed.

"No. You all need sleep. Especially you, Mack. I can stay awake on my own." Kat spoke slowly, cringing at the pain in her throat.

"No, Kat. I'm staying awake with you." Olivia said firmly. Kat gave a reluctant nod.

"Okay, but Mack. You sleep." Kat forced a strong voice, but it still wavered.

"Kat I'm staying-"

"No." Kat spoke sharply as she cut her best friend off.

Mackenzie was about to say something when Amanda cut in. Everyone had forgotten that she was there. She just stood in the corner, unable to look at the girl whom she loved as her own daughter in such pain.

"Mackenzie, c'mon. Let's go down in the squad room. You can sleep in Olivia's office. Give Kat some privacy." Amanda pushed her daughter out the door. Before she left, she walked over and planted a kiss on Kat's forehead.

Kat smiled weakly.

"Love you 'Manda." Kat said as she kept her eyes closed, grimacing as another wave of nausea hit her.

"Love you too, hon. Now get better so I can kick your ass for scaring us."

Amanda earned another smile from Kat as she left, closing the door behind her.

Alex got up from where she sat on the bed reluctantly.

"I should probably go see if I can get a warrant to search Jason's family's home and their phone records to see if they have contacted him" The ADA was fighting tears as she spoke.

Kat frowned.

"It's late, the only Judge who would even have a chance of being at work is Judge Donnelly."

Alex smiled and kissed Kat on the forehead like Amanda had, earning an even bigger smile.

"Well it's a good thing Liz loves you, because I'm getting that warrant _tonight_."

"She only likes me because you're like my second mom and she is like a mom to you..."

Both Alex and Olivia smiled at the fact that Kat called Alex her 'Second mom'.

"I gotta go. I'll see you later. Get better." Alex squeezed Kat's shoulder and left, leaving Melinda, Olivia, and Kat alone.

Melinda searched through her bag and found a vial and a syringe. Olivia noticed how Kat's eyes widened at the needle. Liv never understood how her daughter could look down the barrel of a gun, but still be terrified of needles. The eldest Benson rushed to comfort her daughter, pulling Kat up into her lap slowly. Kat grimaced in pain, but relaxed into her mother.

Melinda filled the syringe and look to Olivia, who pulled Kat's arm out with one hand and used her free arm to tighten her grip around her daughter. Kat had her eyes closed and her body went rigid when she felt Melinda feeling for a vein.

"You're doing great, Love... There, all done." Melinda placed a band aid over where she had inserted the needle and disposed of the syringe.

"They will kick in fairly quickly, make sure she stays awake." Melinda said to Olivia, who still had a tight grip on her daughter.

"I will." Olivia nodded.

Just as Melinda was about to leave, Kat spoke up.

"Mel?"

"Yeah?" Melinda turned to the teenager resting in her mother's arms.

"Thank you." Kat said weakly, her brow still furrowed in pain.

"Don't mention it." Melinda gave the two Bensons small smile and turned to Olivia.

"Liv?"

"Yeah, Melinda?" Olivia looked the Medical Examiner in the eyes, noting how serious and anger filled they had become.

"If you get the chance, kill the bastard."

**/**

**So I brought Melinda in for a while, and I think she will be back. There is also someone else that I desperately want to bring in, but I think it is going to be a while. Thank you all for the support! I know my writing hasn't been very good lately, but I am working really hard to improve how he story goes. Just, bear with me Please! You guys are all so great! Thank you!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Hello Fellow travelers! Haha, I'm REALLYYYYYY hyper! My blood is like 93 percent caffeine (exaggeration much?) Okay, Chapter 30! You are all AWESOME! ENJOY! **

**Did I mention that I own nothing? All characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC!**

**/**

Alex knocked on the door of Liz Donnelly's brownstone so hard that she was afraid her arm was going to fall off. Usually, the ADA would knock a few times, stop, wait, then knock again, but now, it was a constant knocking. After a couple minutes, an extremely annoyed judge opened the door.

"Alexandra, what the hell are you doing here? Its four o'clock in the morning." Liz asked, a certain fury in her eyes as she stood by the door in her bathrobe, her short hair sticking out every which way.

"Liz, I need you to sign this warrant. I need full access to all of the Larkin family phone records and a search warrant for their vacation home upstate." Alex said, somewhat breathlessly as she held out the warrant awaiting the Judge's signature.

Liz's eyes widened as she noticed the urgency in Alex's voice, all of her annoyance fading when she recognized the last name.

"Larkin. This is about the prick who attacked Katherine." Liz spat.

"Yes." Alex thrust the paper and pen in Liz's direction again.

Judge Donnelly grabbed the warrant and signed it. Keeping it in her possession as she turned to Alex, who was practically jumping with impatience.

"How is she? " Liz asked, earning a sad smile from Alex.

"She's not doing well..." Alex snatched the warrant with a sly grin, trying to hide her sadness.

Liz nodded, smiling at Alex's grin.

"She's got Detective Benson's blood running through her veins, she'll get through this. I assume Olivia isn't leaving her side." Liz chuckled.

"Practically joined at the hip!" Alex yelled as she swiftly made it to her car, getting in, and driving off.

Judge Donnelly closed the door, leaning against it with a smile as she remembered the first time she met the youngest Benson.

_**/**_

_**(Flashback)**_

_Judge Elizabeth Donnelly had just gotten out of court after sentencing a man who murdered his wife and child to life in prison and she was in desperate need of a drink, but since she was still at work, a cup of coffee would have to suffice. Liz came to her chamber door, expecting to find it closed, only to find it cracked open about an inch. Slowly, the judge opened the door, releasing her breath when she found her chambers empty, or at least she thought._

_Liz walked to her desk and threw herself down in her chair. Looking over, she spotted the reason why her door was open. In the oversized leather chair in her office sat a little girl with long, deep brown hair. She wore a faux leather jacket, faded jeans, and a pair of red converse. The girl hadn't noticed Liz walk in, she was busy reading one of the law books that had previously been collecting dust on a shelf. The little girl's brow was furrowed, Liz couldn't put her finger on it, but the girl looked unbelievably familiar._

_"Hello." Liz said, sounding authoritative._

_The little girl's head snapped up, revealing big, beautiful, deep brown eyes that caused the Judge's heart to stop._

_"Hi." The girl quickly dismissed the older woman and went back to the book._

_Liz suppressed a laugh at the girl's boldness._

_"Would you mind telling me why you are in my chambers?" Liz asked, motioning to the room._

_The girl narrowed her eyes and shut the book. She hopped down from the chair and started walking around the room, her hands folded behind her back casually._

_"My Aunt Alex was watching me and I got bored so I sneaked out. Then I ended up here." The girl said casually. The Judge noted the error in grammar, this girl couldn't be more than six years old. She also noticed the fact that this girl thought of Alex Cabot as her aunt._

_Liz leaned forward on her desk and put her chin on her hand, eyeing the little girl in front of her._

_"What is your name?" Liz asked._

_"Katherine." Katherine stopped walking around the room and moved to the desk, ignoring Liz's stare and grabbing the name plaque._

_"Honor Elizabeth Donnelly." Katherine read the plaque effortlessly, impressing the judge._

_"How old are you Katherine?"_

_"I'll be six in four days." The girl said with a frown._

_"You act like that's a bad thing." The judge questioned._

_"I don't like my birthday." Katherine walked over to the bookshelf and ran her small hand along the spines of every book._

_"And why is that?" Liz was surprised, didn't most kids love their birthdays?_

_Katherine shrugged, not looking at the Judge._

_"I think that you should celebrate your birthday when you have done something good for the world. I haven't done anything like that yet."_

_Liz sat back in her chair, astounded. Who the hell was this girl and how was she so wise? Judge Donnelly was snapped out of her thoughts by Katherine's voice._

_"You put bad guys in jail, right?"_

_"That I do." Liz smiled as the girl's face lit up._

_"Just like my mom!" Katherine beamed with pride at the mention of her mother._

_"And who would that be?"_

_The young girl straitened immediately and crossed her hands over her chest with pride._

_"Detective Olivia Benson, Manhattan Special Victims Unit." Katherine replaced her gentle voice with a strong one. Liz let out a laugh, that's why this girl was so confident, smart, and seemed so familiar._

_"I know your mother."_

_Katherine's eyes lit up again and she sat down on the floor, peering at the Judge with interest._

_"You do?"_

_"Yes I do. I also know her partner and her Captain."_

_Katherine nodded with a huge smile, revealing two gaps where she had lost teeth._

_"Elly and Captain Cragen."_

_"Do you like Elliot and Captain Cragen?" Liz asked, skipping her voice that she usually used while she talked to little kids. Katherine noticed the voice change and narrowed her eyes slightly._

_"Elly is silly. Captain Cragen is like my grandpa, and he gives my candy when Mommy isn't looking. So does Aunt Alex and Munchie. Aunt Casey showed me how to put sugar in Elly's coffee when he isn't looking." Katherine's smile grew even wider when Judge Donnelly laughed._

_"I like you, Katherine." Liz said, and it was the truth. She liked this girl's spunk._

_"Does that mean we're friends?" Kat asked, cocking her head to the side._

_"I guess it does." Liz said with a smile._

_"Then you can call me Kat. Only mean adults call me Katherine."_

_"Alright, Kat it is." Liz said with a small smile. _

_She looked over to the book that Kat had been reading._

_"Were you enjoying the book?"_

_Kat got up and picked the leather-bound book with a grunt, it probably weighed as much as she did._

_"I don't really understand it. I know prosecution, 'cause that's what Alex and Casey do, Defense is stupid people like Mr. Langan." Liz had to cover her mouth as to not let out a laugh at a five year old calling Trevor Langan stupid._

_Liz was about to say something when she saw Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson rush down the hall. They both wore frantic expressions. Just as the detectives were about to pass her chambers, Liz called for them._

_"Uh, Detectives. Looking for a certain brown-eyed beauty?" Liz winked at Kat who giggled at the name._

_Both detectives entered her chambers with confused expressions, letting out relived sighs when they saw said brown-eyed beauty sitting on the floor._

_"Hi mommy!" Kat gave her mother a huge smile._

_"Come here baby." Olivia held out her arms and Kat jumped into them. The detective kissed her daughter on the temple and gave her a very serious look._

_"Katherine, you can't just take off without telling Aunt Alex where you were going. Do you understand?"_

_Kat nodded as she played with Olivia's necklace. The female detective turned to the judge._

_"I am so sorry your Honor. This will never happen again." Olivia handed her daughter over to her partner who kissed the crown of the girl's head as she rested it on his chest._

_Liz got up from where she sat and walked around to the front of her desk._

_"She was fine. We had a nice conversation. I think you have a future DA on your hands. Smart, confident, she'd make a wonderful lawyer."_

_Olivia answered with a proud smile, but Kat's head shot up from Detective Stabler's chest._

_"I don't wanna be a lawyer. I'm gonna be a detective like mommy and Elly." Kat spoke confidently, crossing her arms over her chest._

_Olivia let out a sigh and Elliot chuckled. Just as the detective were about to leave, Alex Cabot and Casey Novak came rushing into her chambers._

_"Counselors, welcome to the party!" Liz joked, earning a giggle from Kat._

_Both ADA's gave their boss small smiles and turned to the young girl in Elliot's arms. The redhead lawyer speaking first._

_"We turn our backs for one second and you leave?" Casey's low voice had a joking tone to it._

_"I got bored, __**Counselor.**__" Kat wiggled out of Detective Stabler's arms and placed her hands on her hips, staring at the lawyer._

_"Hey, no attitude we return your birthday presents." Alex jumped in. Kat's confident stance faltered a little bit._

_"Speaking of birthday presents." Liz snapped her fingers as she spoke. Moving over to the middle of the room and picking the law book and handing it to the young girl._

_"It's yours. As long as you reconsider being a detective."_

_The ADAs and detectives gave her questioning looks. Kat's eyes lit up and she took to the book , hugging it to her chest._

_"Liz, I couldn't understand what was in that book until my second year of law school." Alex said, eyebrows raised._

_"Well everybody knows that brunettes are smarter than blondes." Kat said as she grabbed her mother's hand and exited the room. _

_Everyone but Alex was laughing their asses off, even Alex herself was having a hard time suppressing her laughter. _

_Kat and Olivia made it halfway down the hall before Kat stopped in her tracks._

_"What are you doing baby? We gotta get to the station." Olivia knelt down so she was at eye level with her daughter. Kat placed her hand on the detective's shoulder and looked her directly in the eyes._

_"Wait here. I forgot something."_

_Olivia laughed as the young girl turned around and darted back down the hallway, dodging Elliot with ease as he reached out to grab her._

_Liz was opening a new file when she heard the sound of feet running into her office and stopping right next to her. She turned to see a pair of brown eyes looking up at her._

_"Yes?" Liz asked with a smile._

_She was taken by surprise when Kat jumped into her arms and gave her a hug. Kat pulled away from the hug and gave Liz a very serious look._

_"You're my new friend, and I protect my friends, it's what I do. I'm a Benson. So that means I now have to protect you."_

_Before the judge could answer, Kat took off again, running down the hall into her mother's outstretched arms. Liz smiled widely as she thought aloud._

_"That girl is going to change the lives of many people, and I want to be one of the people to watch it happen."_

_**/**_

**So I thought this was a cute chapter. It was mainly just going to be a boring filler chapter, but it actually kinda turned out to be more than that. Let me know if you want to see a little but more of baby Kat! Please review! Thanks you guys!**


	31. Chapter 31

**I'm sorry I haven't updated, I had work, work, and more work! I'm really, really sorry! Well, here is chapter 31, I've rewritten it multiple times because I can't seem to write a good chapter. So if this chapter sucks, it's because I just got too tired to write anymore. Okay, enjoy I guess. Thanks you guys!**

**I own nothing! All characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC!**

**/**

"I did _not_!" Kat argued as she laughed along with her mother.

"Yes you did. You went up to Judge Petrovsky when you were three and asked her how the stick got up her butt. When she asked you who told you she had a stick up her butt, you pointed to Elliot. I grabbed you as fast as I could and hauled ass out of there. I had never seen Elliot so embarrassed. " Olivia was running her hand through Kat's hair as she told the story, they were both laughing hysterically.

"Ow, ow. It hurts to laugh." Kat complained, but kept laughing.

The whole staying up so you don't die thing was proving to be kind of easy.

"Do you remember Monique Jeffries?" Olivia asked, out of pure curiosity.

Kat furrowed her brow in thought.

"I remember a tough detective with a lot of hair."

Olivia let out a chuckle and nodded.

"That would be her. She was probably the only detective that you didn't get too attached to." Olivia frowned slightly, she never knew why, but Jeffries never seemed to like Kat.

"Well there was probably a reason." Kat paused in thought. "Was she a complete and utter bitch?"

The question wasn't meant to be a joke, but it earned another fit of laughter from Olivia.

"No, she was a good person. "

Kat snapped her fingers as she remembered why she and Jeffries didn't get along.

"It was because she was Cassidy's partner in the beginning."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I always thought that you and Cassidy should be together."

Olivia nearly choked on her coffee, she and Cassidy had been together for almost a year now and Kat absolutely hated him.

"What changed in thirteen years?"

"He did." Kat shrugged as she answered and Olivia just nodded.

"He's a good man, you know. He misses you." Olivia spoke, looking down at her coffee.

Kat groaned and rolled over so her face was in her pillow.

"I don't want to talk about this..."

"Well I do, Katherine."

Kat sighed and shifted her head so she was peering at her mother with one eye.

"Fine. Talk."

"Why do you hate Brian?" Olivia asked in all seriousness.

Kat thought for a moment before answering.

"I don't hate Cassidy."

"You refuse to call him by his first name, Kat. I'd say that means you hate him. So spill."

"Fine. I hate him because he almost got you shot by Ganzel. When you came home covered in blood, I thought it was yours and when I found out what happened, I just decided that I couldn't trust him."

"That's valid, but I didn't get hurt."

"Well it could have been you!" Kat snapped, causing Olivia to jump. Kat's eyes softened and she spoke again.

"I'm sorry. I just don't like him. I know he makes you happy and that's all I care about. I just don't like that he goes undercover for weeks at a time. He has been UC for five months, mom."

Kat glanced up at her mother to see tears in the detectives eyes. Kat propped herself up on her elbows and looked directly at her mother.

"Okay, look. If it would make you happy, I will give _Brian_ another chance. Whenever he gets back from being undercover, we'll go out to dinner, but if I feel like the third wheel I'm leaving. Deal?"

Olivia nodded with a genuine smile.

"Deal."

"I just don't get how you're able to be with someone who you never see. I mean seriously... _ five months_ since you've last seen him. That's crazy and I give you major props."

"Well thanks, I think. I'm still not one hundred percent sure what props means."

Kat laughed again, grimacing at the pain in her stomach muscles.

"Can I sleep yet?" Kat asked.

"Nope."

"Are you slightly enjoying my misery since I nearly gave you a heart attack."

" A little." Olivia answered with a smirk on her face.

Kat chuckled lightly and turned to her mother, completely serious.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for all of that to happen."

"All of what?" Olivia raised an eyebrow in question.

"I didn't go out just to get drunk. I just took off and found myself in a bar, then next thing I knew I was staring at the wall in Don's bedroom."

Olivia sighed and ran her hand over her eyes.

"I know. I saw the look in your eyes. I know that you meant it when you promised that you wouldn't drink again until it was actually legal to do so. If it happens again, though, I am going to ask Amanda for information on addiction counseling. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I understand." Kat nodded.

Something hit Olivia and she furrowed her brow in confusion.

"How did you get a drink at a bar? Do you have a fake ID?"

Kat chuckled nervously.

"Actually no, but I'm not really comfortable telling you how I got the booze..."

"Katherine. Tell me." Olivia narrowed her eyes at her daughter.

Kat sighed and flopped back down in the cot, taking the pillow and holding it over her face.

"I may or may not have promised to sleep with the bartender if he didn't card me."

"You what?!" Olivia yelled, tearing the pillow away from Kat's face.

"Katherine, please don't tell me-"

"Woah, calm down. I didn't do anything, I snuck out the back before he even noticed. I may have been hammered, but that doesn't mean I got slutty. I'm just a really good liar." Kat winked at Olivia who just gave her a skeptical look.

"How do I know you aren't lying to me right now."

"You don't" Kat said with a laugh as Olivia threw the pillow at her, groaning when it nailed her square in the face.

**/**

**Okay, I hope you enjoyed it! Again, I'm really sorry for the wait! So yeah, I decided to throw Cassidy into the mix, He hasn't been around because he's been undercover for IAB.**


	32. Chapter 32

**I am having internet problems, so I won't be able to update very often until it gets fixed. I know a lot of you are mad because I brought Cassidy in, but please don't stop reading. I'm not crazy about him either, but I wanted to add a little bit of Olivia's love life in here, it was either Cassidy or David Haden and I strongly despise David Haden. So just please stay with me. Okay, chapter 32 is here, enjoy guys!**

**/**

Nick kicked in the door of the Larkin family vacation home, his gun at the ready. Amanda, Fin, and Olivia followed him in. Fin and Amanda took the first floor, and Olivia and Nick went upstairs.

"Clear!" Amanda's voice echoed through the house.

"Clear!" Fin's voice followed.

Nick and Liv opened the last door on the second floor and found the room empty.

"Damn." Olivia cursed as she holstered her gun and made her way back down the stairs.

"There's nothing up there." Nick informed the squad as he followed Olivia.

Fin ran his hand over the coffee table, shaking his head at the layer of dust that came off.

"Nobody has been here in months." Amanda said, frustrated and she ran her hand over her face.

"Alright, let's just head back to the city then..." Olivia said quietly as she made her way out the door.

As the rest of the detectives went back to the cars, Olivia took a minute to look at the house. Just as she was about to head back to the car, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and everything went black.

**/**

Nick sat in the car and waited for Olivia, after five minutes of waiting, he looked out the window and saw that his partner was gone. The detective jumped out of his car and ran over to Fin and Amanda's unmarked cruiser.

"Did Liv say anything to you about going back in the house?" Nick asked as the two other detectives got out of the car.

"No, we thought she was with you." Amanda said, looking back at the house with worry etched all over her face.

"Well she's not." Nick huffed as he ran back to the house.

When the three detectives made it to the door, Liv was nowhere to be found. Amanda looked around to the side of the house and her heart stopped. Laying on the ground was a two-by-four; the piece of wood had blood on one end.

"Son of a bitch." The Georgian detective breathed as she put on her glove and lifted the plank off of the ground.

Nick and Fin came running around from the other side.

"The car that they keep here is gone." Fin said, somewhat out of breath.

"Yeah, so is Olivia."

Fin and Nick's faces paled when Amanda held up the two-by-four.

"How the hell are we gonna tell Kat?" Amanda wondered out loud, looking to the two male detective who's eyes were filled with fear and worry.

**/**

Kat and Mackenzie sat in the squad room, drinking coffee and eating crappy vending-machine food. It had been two days since Kat's little meltdown. The two teens were laughing as Kat told stories about her life as the baby of SVU.

"So Munch seriously sat you down on day and explained his theory about the JFK assassination?" Mackenzie was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her face.

"Yup. I mean, it's one thing if I was old enough to understand what he was talking about, but I was six years old. I didn't even know who the hell JFK was!" Kat said as her phone rang.

She looked at the screen and frowned in confusion as Amanda's name flashed across it, answering quickly, she put it on speaker.

"Hey, Amanda." Kat shot a look to Mackenzie who just shrugged.

_'Hey, hon. I have some news. I need you to try and stay calm though. Okay?'_

Worry washed over Kat and her voice cracked as she answered.

"Okay..."

Amanda took a deep breath before speaking.

_'While we were leaving the Larkin's vacation home, Jason got to your mother."_

_"_Is she okay? Is she at the hospital?" Kat asked frantically, Mackenzie had jumped up from where she sat and went to call Cragen.

_'Kat, she isn't at a hospital. We don't know where she is.'_

Kat's heart stopped and tears started streaming down her face.

_'Kat, you there?' _Amanda's voice came through the phone again after a couple minutes.

Kat didn't answer, she just hung up, Amanda's voice echoing in her head.

'_We don't know where she is_.'

Amanda's voice soon faded into Jason's.

'_You sent me to jail. You ruined my life, so now, I'm going to ruin yours.'_

After Jason's voice had rushed through her head, Kat heard the one voice that she didn't know if she would ever hear again. Olivia.

_'This is your fault. You couldn't save me, you're the reason I'm going to die.'_

Kat's world came to a screeching halt and she wiped the tears away from her face.

"No, I am not going to let her die."

Without thinking, Kat moved to her mother's computer and got to work. She knew what she had to do and that was find Jason and end all of this. If that meant putting a bullet in his head, then so be it. Kat knew one thing for sure, though; and that was that she was getting her mother back.

**/**

**Okay, so I know it was short, but it was full of awesomeness! I have a question for y'all; who do you guys ship on the show? Finanda? Rolivia? Bensaro? Bensidy? Cabenson? Livid? Liv and Elliot? Rollaro? Let me know who you want to be together! Thank you all for your support and again, I'm sorry to those of you who don't like my decision to bring Cassidy in. Hopefully you won't stop reading! Y'all are the best! Thanks!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Alright, chapter 33! Thank you all for the support! I don't have much else to say. Thank you for being understanding about me not updating much, I know, I have been really flaky lately. I just have a lot going on with work and my internet doesn't work worth a crap right now. I'm trying, just bear with me please. Okay, thanks again. Enjoy chapter 33!**

**The beginning of this chapter was kind of awkward to write, so it might blow epically.**

**/**

_(Flashback: July 17th, 1997)_

_"Alright, Olivia. One more push and that's it!" The doctor yelled, a huge smile on his face._

_An extremely exhausted Olivia Benson nodded to the doctor and pushed one more time, letting out an ear piercing scream as she did._

_"That's it Olivia! She's almost here!" The doctor continued to coach Olivia as she pushed._

_The brunette collapsed back onto the bed and she heard the most beautiful sound; she heard the sound of her daughter's cry._

_The nurses gathered around the baby and cleaned her up a little before placing her in Olivia's arms._

_Liv couldn't hold back the tears as she saw her daughter. _

_"Congratulations, Olivia. She's beautiful." The nurse said with a genuine smile._

_Olivia let out a small laugh and kissed her daughter's head._

_"Yeah, she is. My beautiful baby girl. She's perfect." Olivia said through the tears._

_All of the nurses and the doctor smiled when they saw the woman interacting with the child. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Olivia would be a great mother._

_The detective looked up to the doctor with tears streaking her cheeks._

_"Is there anyone in the waiting room that I can go get?" He asked._

_Olivia nodded._

_"Alex Cabot. Could you bring her in?"_

_The doctor nodded and left the room with a smile. Once he was gone, Olivia looked back down to the child sleeping in her arms._

_"It's you and me for the long haul, kid. Other than me, you've got a great group of people to look after you. None of them will let anything happen to you and neither will I. I will always be there, no matter what. I promise you that." Olivia leaned down and kissed the child's head one more time._

_Moments later, there was a soft knock at the door and Alex entered with a huge smile on her face and tears in her eyes. Olivia waved her in. Alex looked down at the baby in her best friend's arms, completely astounded._

_"Do you want to hold her?" Olivia asked._

_Alex just nodded and held out her arms. Once she had the baby settled in her grasp, her tears started flowing freely. A nurse entered the room again with a temporary basinet, it had a blank name tag on the front. The nurse smiled at the women in the room._

_"Do we have a name yet?" She asked in a whisper._

_Alex looked to Olivia questioningly and Liv nodded._

_"Katherine. Katherine Alexandra Benson." Olivia said._

_It took a second for Olivia's statement to sink in._

_"H-her middle name is Alexandra?" Alex asked, gazing back down at Katherine._

_"If that's okay with you. It's a strong name, and she's named after a strong woman." Olivia said, unsure of Alex's reaction._

_Alex let out a laugh._

_"Is that okay? Liv, it's more than okay. I am honored." Alex was practically sobbing._

_The ADA looked down at Katherine and said of the most meaningful things Olivia had ever heard._

_"Hi, Katherine. I'm your Aunt Alex. I'm going to teach you everything about being a lawyer, even though we all know that you're going to grow up to be a cop like your mommy. I will be there for every birthday, every soccer game, every debate with your Uncle John. You haven't met him yet, so cherish it."_

_Olivia laughed as her friend paused in her little speech._

_"So to sum it up, I will always be there. Just like your mom. You're pretty lucky to have her, she's can be a hard-ass sometimes, but most of the time she's pretty cool." Alex winked at Olivia, who was wiping the tears that clung to her face._

_"So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love you and nothing can ever change that." _

_Alex finished speaking and reluctantly gave Katherine back to Olivia._

_"I'll let you two sleep. Congratulations, Liv. She's perfect." Alex said as she picked up her purse and headed to the door._

_"Thank you Alex. For everything, I'm glad that she has you." Olivia said with a smile._

_"She doesn't just have me. She has us, all of us." Alex said with a laugh as she opened the door, revealing the entire SVU squad._

_Olivia let out a laugh, despite her exhaustion. With that, Alex left the room so Olivia could sleep._

_After spending another half an hour just staring at the little girl in her arms, a nurse took Katherine to the nursery so Olivia could get some rest._

_As Olivia fell asleep, she promised herself one thing; She would be the best mother she could be, unlike her mother. No matter what, Olivia would make sure that her daughter was safe and loved. Just as her eyes were closing, Olivia took comfort in the fact that if anything happened to her, Katherine would have a family. _

_**/**_

Olivia was woken up by the feeling of cold metal on her face. The Sergeant's eyes opened slowly and she realized that the metal on her face was from a gun being run across her cheek. In front of her was Jason Larkin. Larkin had a smug grin on his face and Olivia wanted nothing more than to wipe it off for him.

The brunette lunged for him, but was held back by the fact that her arms were tied behind the back of a chair. Olivia looked down and saw that she had been stripped of her bullet proof vest, gun, and badge. Her gun was now pointed at her head.

"Welcome back, Sergeant." Jason said as Olivia glared at him.

"What the hell do you want, Larkin?" Olivia spat, earning a laugh from the man.

"Isn't it obvious? We both know that Kat is going to come storming into this warehouse eventually, and when she does I'm going to put a bullet in your head, and then finish my business with her. And let me assure you, it'll be slow. Very, very slow." Jason said as he paced slowly, his eyes darkening and his grin growing.

Tears burned behind Olivia's eyes at the thought of him hurting Kat again.

"My partner won't let her come. It'll be cops who show up, not Kat." Olivia said, confidence prominent in her voice.

Jason scoffed and turned to Olivia.

"Wow, stupidity must be passed down from the mother. I can tell that you know I'm right. Your precious little daughter would rather die than let anything happen to you and she won't let anything stop her. She's strong, I'll give her that, but she's not smart about it."

Olivia's blood boiled.

"What makes you think that she'll even find us?" Olivia asked, her eyes narrowed.

"We're shacked up in the warehouse that my father owns. She knows where this place is. Let me ask you this Sergeant; does Kat know where you keep your back up piece?"

Olivia's breath caught in her throat. Kat knew that Olivia kept an extra gun locked in her desk at work, and if you wanted to, it was a pretty easy lock to pick. Jason noticed Olivia's reaction and laughed.

"How does it feel knowing that you daughter would kill for you? Does it fill you with pride, or does the fact that you raised a murderer block that?" Jason bent down so he was at eye level with Olivia, just as he was about to slap her across the face, there was a loud crash in the back of the warehouse.

A sly grin formed on Jason's face and Olivia's blood ran cold. Jason cocked Olivia's gun and ran a hand through his hair.

"Show time."

_**/**_

(one hour earlier)

Kat sat at her mother's desk, typing feverishly. All of the detectives had returned to the station and gotten to work. Cragen had shown up to comfort Kat since everyone thought she would shut down again. They were all shocked when the teen told them she was fine and ordered them to get to work. Little did they know that Kat was working the case herself.

Kat knew that Jason was using Olivia to bait her and she knew where he would go; his father's warehouse. Now the only problem was getting Cragen and Mackenzie out of Olivia's office so she could begin picking the lock on her mother's desk.

Suddenly, a plan washed over Kat. She had been to that warehouse before and she knew about the back entrance, she also knew a shortcut. If she got rid of everyone, she could make it to the warehouse and end this before anyone even knew. Kat got up from her spot at Olivia's desk and ran into the squad room.

"Jason's father owns a warehouse by the Hudson. " Kat said as if she had just remembered it.

Amanda nodded and typed something onto her computer, writing down the address. All of the detectives got up from their desks and grabbed their guns. Kat smiled them and went back into Olivia's office. Now it was time to get rid of Cragen and Mackenzie.

"I need a minute alone please." Kat said.

Mackenzie and Don looked to her concerned.

"Are you okay?" Don asked.

"Yeah, gramps, I'm fine. I just need a minute. Why don't you guys go get some food or something."

The two looked to Kat skeptically.

"Please!" Kat begged in a yell.

Mack and Cragen nodded and hurried out of the room. Once they were gone, Kat rushed over to Olivia's desk and started with the lock. After a couple minutes, the lock clicked and Kat pulled the drawer open, grabbing Olivia's 9mm.

Kat tucked the gun in the waistband of her jeans and grabbed her jacket, tearing out of the precinct.

Fumbling with her keys, Kat unlocked her car door and got in. Kat drove as fast as she could without getting pulled over. The drive was agonizingly long and images of what Jason could be doing to Olivia floated into Kat's head. The teen shook the images away and drove faster.

After fifteen minutes, Kat pulled up to the back of Mr. Larkin's warehouse and parked the car. She could hear the sirens of the cop cars getting closer and she knew she had to act quickly. Kat put her hair in a ponytail and took the gun from the waistband of her jeans.

Kat didn't have a bullet proof vest and nobody knew she was here. All she had was her mother's gun and her wits. If this went wrong, the SVU team would find her and her mother dead, but one thing was for sure; If Kat was dying today, Jason would be too.

Kat opened the back door of the warehouse and she could hear voices coming from deeper inside the building. As Kat approached, relief flooded through her when she heard Olivia's voice, strong as usual. The teen sprang to action with her plan, picking up a box and throwing it across the room so the noise got Jason's attention. Jason stopped talking for a second, then said the most clever thing Kat had ever heard come out of his mouth.

'_Show time'_

_**/**_

_**Can you say cliffhanger?! Okay, tell me what you think! Thanks guys!**_


	34. Chapter 34

**I know, the wait was ridiculously long. I'm sorry, I'm trying to update as much as I can. Thank you all so much for your support! Alright, Chapter 34! Enjoy!**

**I own nothing, all characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC.**

**/**

Olivia's blood ran cold when she saw the smirk on Jason's face as he realized that Kat had showed up. He wanted nothing more than to kill her, and Olivia knew it. Jason slowly walked behind the sergeant and into the back of the warehouse.

Jason crept up behind a shelf with Olivia's gun at the ready. Little did he know that Kat was already behind him. She held her gun up to the back of his head and slipped the safety off.

"Hello, Jason." Kat said menacingly, hoping to God that he couldn't hear how rapidly her heart was beating.

Jason froze where he stood, then turned around, looking down the barrel of a handgun.

"Glad you decided to join us." Jason said with a smirk.

"Where is she?" Kat spat, narrowing her eyes.

Jason slowly moved towards the main room where he was keeping Olivia. When they got there, Kat's eyes widened at the sight of her mother in front of her; Olivia was struggling against her restraints, her eyes widened with fear when she saw Kat. As Kat was absorbing everything, they heard a crash come from the main entrance of the warehouse.

"Jason Larkin, NYPD. We have a warrant for your arrest!" Yelled a voice, Kat could tell that it was Nick.

A smile spread across Kat's face when a look of shock crossed over Jason's.

"It's over. You're done." Kat said victoriously.

Jason let out a dark laugh and sighed.

"Really, Kat? Do you not know me at all?"

With that, Jason lunged at Kat, sending both of their guns clattering to the floor. He had her pinned to the floor by her neck, his face centimeters away from hers. Olivia was struggling in the chair so much that they could hear the wooden legs on the chair scraping on the concrete floor of the warehouse.

"Change of plans. Since you pissed me off, I'm going to kill you, and then have my fun with mommy dearest over there." Jason hissed in Kat's ear, sending anger coursing through her body.

All of the things that the detectives had taught Kat over the years came rushing back to her. Using her own body weight, Kat pulled Jason over her and managed to roll so he was on the floor and she was straddling him. His hand was still on her throat, but she began throwing punches. Each blow came in contact with his face and blood was gushing from his nose, she could feel his teeth breaking under her knuckles.

"How... does it...feel...to be...completely helpless?!" Kat asked in a yell between blows.

After about fifteen blows, fatigue was setting in and Kat had already lost most of the feeling in her hands. She stopped punching and wrapped her hands around Jason's neck, completely unaware of all of the police flooding into the room. Jason's eyes were wide with fear as he lay there with Kat's hands wrapped around his neck, squeezing ever so slightly.

"I could kill you right now. In fact, I probably should." Kat began applying pressure on his neck as she spoke.

As Jason's eyes closed slightly, Kat let her guard down and Jason landed a blow to her face, sending her toppling off of him. Quickly, she crawled back and this time, wrapped her arm around Jason's neck; something that Elliot had taught her five years ago

"Kat, stop." Olivia voice didn't come from where the chair was, it come from directly behind her.

Kat looked up and saw her mother standing over her, noticing how her eyes were filled with concern and a little bit of fear. The teen was about to let go, but she felt Jason move under her and realized that he was reaching for his gun. Anger flooded through her again and she began tightening her arm around Jason's neck, just as she felt him start to go unconscious, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her off of him. Kat reluctantly let go of Jason and he collapsed onto the cold floor, gasping for air.

"Let me go!" Kat struggled against the person holding her, but the arms just tightened. Kat looked down at the arms around her torso and realized that it was Nick holding her.

Amanda walked up to Jason and lifted him off the ground, placing handcuffs around his wrists and hauling him out.

"He shouldn't get to walk out of here!" Kat yelled as she continued to struggle.

Kat's eyes met Olivia's and she was instantly calmed. She slumped back against Nick's chest, her breathing ragged, tears threatening to spill over. Olivia came up to them and knelt down in front of Kat.

"What were you thinking?" Olivia asked, shaking Kat lightly.

"I couldn't... let him..hurt you." Kat spoke breathlessly, eyeing the trail of blood coming from the gash on Olivia's head.

"And getting yourself killed wouldn't have hurt me? You promised me that you would stop putting yourself in danger." Olivia chastised, even though her tone was soft and comforting.

Kat looked directly into Olivia's eyes, noticing how tired they were.

"And I promised myself that I would keep you safe, now look. You're hurt, and it's my fault."

Olivia pulled Kat from Nick's hold and into her own. Kat melted into her mother's embrace and let the tears fall.

"I'm so sorry, Mom." Kat choked out her apology before a sob escaped her lips.

"This wasn't your fault." Olivia assured her, completely serious.

Kat pulled away from Olivia and pushed up the detective's sleeves, checking her wrist. Then she pulled up Olivia's shirt to check her ribs. Olivia grabbed Kat's hands as they probed her abdomen, with a small smile, she looked at her daughter.

"He didn't hurt me. I promise." Olivia whispered, wiping away a tear that still clung to Kat's face.

"Yes he did." Kat's tone was cold and full of self-loathing as she referenced the gash just below Olivia's hairline.

"That was my fault. I should really look out for flying two-by-fours." Olivia joked, regretting it immediately when Kat's face filled with remorse.

"Katherine Alexandra Benson, look at me." Olivia ordered.

The teen looked her mother directly in the eyes, blinking back her tears. Olivia reached up and placed her hand on Kat's cheek, stroking gently with her thumb.

"This. Was. Not. Your. Fault." Olivia insisted.

Kat just pulled her mother into a bear hug that lasted a good minute and a half.

"Now let's go home." Olivia said as she pulled away from the hug.

"No." Kat said, strictly.

Olivia narrowed her eyes at her daughter in confusion and Kat elaborated.

"We are going to the hospital." Kat ordered.

Panic flooded through Olivia and she checked Kat's body over quickly.

"Are you hurt?" The detective asked frantically.

"No. You are. You probably have a concussion, I'm taking you to the hospital."

"Kat...-" Olivia protested, but Kat held up her hand to silence her.

"I am driving you to the hospital. I won't believe you are fine until I hear it from a doctor." Kat said in the most serious tone she could muster as she pushed herself up from the floor and grabbed Olivia's guns, vest, and badge.

"You stole my gun..." Olivia said, her tone shocked and somewhat amused.

"Grounded?" Kat asked, dreading the answer.

Olivia thought for a minute, then shook her head lightly.

"Nope, you just get to do the dishes and laundry for the next two weeks." Olivia said with a smirk as Kat rolled her eyes and groaned.

Olivia started to walk out the front, but Kat grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the back. Olivia raised her eyebrows at her daughter and Kat let out a laugh.

"I'm parked in the back and I don't trust the EMTs." Kat admitted.

Olivia nodded lightly as she cracked a smile, which was returned graciously by Kat.

As the two Benson's made their way to the hospital, Olivia couldn't help but feel touched and proud that her daughter was willing to give her own life to save her. Granted, it scared the hell out of her, but it was nice to know that she would always have someone there.

**/**

**Hope y'all liked it! I was going to make it all action-filled and such, but then I realized that Kat isn't a cold blooded killer, all she wanted was for Olivia to be safe. So, I hope you guys aren't disappointed by this chapter. I have a really awesome idea for the next one, but I have a feeling that I'm going to start bawling as I write it... **

**Okay, thanks you guys! **


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35! Enjoy!**

**I own nothing, all characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC.**

**/**

A week had passed since Olivia was taken by Jason. The hit with the two-by-four surprisingly didn't give Liv a concussion, she just needed a couple stitches on her forehead. Kat had gone back to school and was busy trying to catch up. After Mackenzie had realized that Kat lied to her and nearly got herself killed _again_, they got into a huge fight and hadn't talked since.

With every day that passed, the guilt and stress started to build in Kat. Amanda and Olivia noticed, but knew not to push, they both just agreed to keep a close on her.

It was Saturday morning and Olivia had just woken up. To her surprise, Kat wasn't home, but she left a note on Olivia's bedroom door.

'_Don't freak out. I just need to take care of something. I'll be home in time for dinner with Cassidy.'_

Olivia sighed sadly as she crumpled the note in her hand and threw it away. Ever since they had come home from the warehouse, Kat was putting up her walls. The detective knew that she was doing it out of guilt and it pained her to think that Kat was still blaming herself.

Olivia settled down on the couch and turned on the TV. She didn't pay attention though, all she could think about was Kat and how they were right back where they were when this all started.

**/**

Kat trudged through the cemetery, her hands shoved in her coat pockets. She wasn't planning on doing this, but something in her mind told her that it was a good idea. Even though it was the middle of December and Kat was absolutely freezing, she took her time as she walked in an effort to draw out the time until she had to face her mother.

When she reached her destination, Kat sighed and turned to the grave of Serena Benson. Taking a deep breath, Kat spoke.

"Hey, Grandma. Uh, I have no idea what I'm doing, you probably can't even hear me. God, this is stupid. It's fifteen degrees outside and I'm standing here talking to someone who I barely knew." Kat laughed at herself before continuing.

"Alright, look. You hurt my mom a lot, but you already know that. I'm not here to yell at you and tell you how you were a horrible mother. It's not like I can judge you, I'm doing the same thing that you did. All I have been doing is cause Mom pain. I'm here because something about you screams at me, something about you brings me comfort or something. It's not because you're my grandmother, it's because of your story. What happened to you was terrible, but it gave you my mom. I'm sure that during the handful of times you were sober, you were a great mom, because if you weren't then I wouldn't have the mom I have today. I think you would be proud of her, she's a really, really good cop and she's the best mom anyone could ask for. She keeps telling me that what happened wasn't my fault, but it is, and I have to live with that."

Kat used her gloved hand to wipe away the tears that had started falling down her cheeks.

"I'm ruining everything, Grandma. My best friend won't talk to me, my 'boyfriend' or whatever the hell he is keeps texting me and I won't answer him, my family looks at me like I'm some wounded animal, and I can't even look at Mom anymore. Every time I look at her I just see her in that warehouse, tied to the chair. I keep thinking about what Jason would have done to her if I didn't get there on time. I've considered leaving; just pack what I need and leave, but I can't do that. I don't know what to do. I'm trying so hard to keep it together, but I feel like if one more person in my life gets hurt I'll just shut down for good. I've tried dealing with everything the way you did; drink everything away, and it worked. It worked until I saw the look on my mom's face when she saw that I was drunk. I'm sure she gave you that same look, filled with disappointment and pain. The fact that I was the one who caused the pain makes me never want to drink again and I have no idea how you continued to drink knowing you were causing her so much pain. Maybe it skips a generation, eternal fuck-ups. You were one, and now there's me. We don't deserve Olivia Benson."

Kat just stood there, staring at her grandmother's grave, waiting for something to happen. Once she realized that she had stood there for a good two hours and her feet had gone numb, Kat spoke again.

"Well, now that we listened to my violins... Goodbye, Grandma. Thanks for listening."

With that, Kat turned around and walked back to her car. It was about a thirty minute drive back to the apartment; plenty of time to compose herself. Kat cried silently as she drove, the time flying by. Once she pulled into her parking space, Kat looked in the rearview mirror and saw that her eyes were red and puffy.

"Great. Good luck hiding that, dumbass." Kat said to herself.

With a heavy sigh, Kat got out of her car and walked up the stairs to her apartment, hoping that it would give her enough time for her eyes to look less...well, red. Slowly, Kat opened the door to her apartment, set her keys and phone on the counter, and hung up her snow-covered jacket.

Olivia heard Kat come in and she got up from the couch and casually walked to the kitchen. The detective leaned against the counter and stuck her hands in her pockets. Kat looked at her briefly and smiled lightly, then made a B line for the pot of coffee that was on the counter. As she poured herself a cup, she heard Olivia shift uncomfortably behind her.

"Where were you?" Olivia asked.

Kat shrugged as she took a sip of her coffee, its warmth welcomed greatly.

"I just had to talk to someone." Kat answered quietly.

Olivia moved so she and Kat made eye contact.

"Have you been crying?" Olivia asked, worry flooding through her.

Kat knew that she couldn't deny that she had been crying, so with a sigh, she answered.

"Uh, yeah."

Olivia took the cup of coffee from Kat's hands and placed it on the counter. Without warning, she enveloped Kat in a warm, meaningful hug. Kat tensed with surprise, but melted into Olivia's embrace, letting out a small sigh. She wrapped her arms around her mother's waist tightly.

"I love you, mom."

"I love you too, sweetheart." Olivia whispered.

Shocking both Bensons, Kat broke down in choking sobs. Olivia reacted quickly and tightened her grip around Kat.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Olivia asked worriedly.

"I lied. I went to Grandma's grave, I stood there for hours and basically talked about how I'm doing exactly what she did to you." Kat managed to choke out before continuing to sob.

Olivia was shocked and heartbroken by her daughter's admission. The detective led her daughter over to the couch and brought her back into her arms. Kat was practically in Olivia's lap as she cried.

_"_Honey, you are not to blame for everything that has happened. How many times do I have to tell you that?" Olivia asked as she gently rocked the teen, running her hands through Kat's long hair.

"All I do is hurt you and the people I love." Kat said, almost in a whisper.

"That is not true." Olivia said, pulling Kat away so they were looking directly at each other.

"You haven't hurt any of us. Scare the hell out of us, yes, but never _hurt_ us. All you have done is try to protect your family." Olivia assured her with a small smile.

Kat wiped away her tears as she took a shaky breath.

"Mack hates me." She admitted, looking down at her hands.

Olivia took a deep breath as she thought about what to say.

"Mackenzie does not hate you. I think she is scared that she is going to lose you, and she lets her fear come out as anger. That is something that you need to talk to her about."

Kat nodded lightly and sniffled.

Suddenly, Kat's phone vibrated on the counter. The teen got up quickly and answered the call.

"Hey, Mason." She said, as happily as possible.

Kat listened closely to what Mason was saying, then her eyes darkened with anger. Olivia shot her a questioning look , but she held up her index finger and mouthed 'one sec'.

Olivia nodded in understanding.

"Wait, so let me get this straight. You feel like I'm not invested in this 'relationship', so you go sleep with my lab partner." Kat clarified angrily.

Anger coursed through Olivia when she heard Kat's words, Mason was lucky that he hadn't shown up at the apartment, because Olivia probably would have strangled him.

"No, I get it. Hey, we went on one date. I'm just glad that it wasn't my life that you ruined. Enjoy parenthood. Oh yeah and one more thing; go to hell."

Kat ended the call abruptly and turned to Olivia.

"You okay?" Olivia asked, cautiously.

The youngest Benson took a deep breath, but gave a sure nod.

"Actually, I am. Like I said before, I didn't trust him. I should be glad that this happened, because if it hadn't, it might have ended up being me who was pregnant."

Olivia's jaw dropped to the floor with surprise.

"He got another girl pregnant?"

Kat nodded.

"Lily Henderson, my Honors Chemistry lab partner."

"I'm sorry, Kat." Olivia gave her daughter a sympathetic look and Kat answered with a small smile.

"I wasn't going to last anyways. No harm, no foul."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Kat looked at her phone and sighed lightly.

"Cassidy-I mean, _Brian_- Is going to be here in like, two hours. Stop worrying about me and go get ready, unless you are going out in sweatpants and a tear-soaked shirt."

Olivia chuckled and smiled brightly as she got up from the couch and ran into her bedroom.

"Thank you for doing this, by the way!" The eldest Benson yelled as she got dressed.

"Don't mention it! Oh, and after dinner I'm spending the night at Aunt Alex's so you and Cassidy have the apartment to yourselves."

Olivia poked her head into the living room, and looked at her daughter, eyes wide with shock.

"Mom, I'm a virgin; not an idiot." Kat said, laughing.

Olivia grimaced and frowned at her daughter's crassness.

"But you owe me big time." The teen added, smiling brightly when she heard a laugh come from Olivia's bedroom.

**/**

**Okay, so Cassidy's 'evaluation', as I like to call it, is in the next chapter. I'm gonna tell you right now that Kat isn't gonna hold back...she will really lay into him with the questions. Will it go well, or will Cassidy make a complete ass of himself? Okay, I hope you guys liked it! Please review!**


	36. Chapter 36

**Ugh! Okay, I suck, I know; the wait was ridiculous! No excuses, I just got really, really lazy. I'm sorry! I will do my best to update more often. Okay, Chapter 36, enjoy! You guys rock!**

**I own nothing! All characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC.**

**/**

The second Olivia and Kat heard Cassidy knock on the door, Olivia shot up from the couch, nervously checking over her outfit one more time. Kat rolled her eyes and moved to the door, glancing back at Olivia who was now fixing her hair.

"Mom, you look fine." Kat said with a small laugh.

Cassidy knocked on the door again, a little louder this time.

"One second!" Kat said through the door, hoping that he couldn't tell that she was right there.

Olivia took a deep breath and gave Kat a small nod. Suppressing another eye roll, Kat opened the door and plastered a fake smile on her face.

Brian Cassidy stood at the door, flowers in hand and a slight smirk on his face. He wore a 'nice' pair a jeans, a white crew neck t-shirt, and a black sport jacket. His hair was styled messily and his face was cleanly shaven. Kat stepped aside and ushered him in, the second Olivia saw him, her face lit up with a huge smile.

"Hey, Liv." Cassidy greeted as he handed her the flowers.

Olivia thanked him with a quick peck on the lips, causing Kat to choke down a gag. The female detective placed the flowers in a vase. Brian turned to Kat, who was leaning casually against a wall, playing with the hem of her shirt.

"So, Kat... how have you been?" Cassidy asked nervously.

Olivia smiled at the effort, but grimaced when she noticed the sarcastic smirk on Kat's face. Hundreds, if not thousands of sarcastic and snarky remarks flooded through Kat's mind to fast she thought she was going to pass out. After taking a minute to make sure that she wasn't going to blurt out one of those remarks, she answered his question.

"I've been alright."

Kat looked to Olivia, who gave her a grateful smile.

"How have you been, Cassidy?" She added, faking her interest.

Brian frowned slightly at the use of his last name, but recovered quickly.

"It's nice to be out in the real world for once." Cassidy answered with a small chuckle.

Kat straightened from her stance against the wall and moved to the door. It took everything she had not to scoff and say something about him being an IAB pig.

"Speaking of the real world, shall we?" Kat asked, mainly to Olivia as she opened the door.

The two adults nodded and Olivia grabbed her coat and her purse. Kat was the first one out the door; When she looked back, she couldn't help but smile as Olivia grabbed Brian's hand and entwined their fingers. She caught Olivia's glance and the eldest Benson's cheeks turned a light shade of pink. Kat just chuckled lightly and shook her head.

Once the three made it to the elevator, Brian spoke again.

"I hope Italian is okay for dinner." He said, looking to the two brunettes questioningly.

They both nodded and Cassidy answered with a smile. As they were leaving the elevator, Kat's phone started to vibrate. The teen pulled her phone from her jacket pocket and frowned in confusion as she looked at the screen, as she got in the car, Kat pushed the lock button on her phone to reject the call. Olivia looked back from the passenger seat at her daughter, their brown eyes meeting. Kat gave her a small, forced smile and turned to look out the window. Olivia shook off the odd feeling that she had and let it go.

Brian got in the car and started to drive off. They sat in silence for a good ten minutes before someone spoke.

"So what are your plans for college, Kat?"

Kat snapped her attention to the man in the driver's seat.

"Um, Columbia wants to talk to me about a full ride. I have a meeting next Wednesday." Kat answered, flinching when Olivia turned around in her seat, in complete shock.

"Well this is news to me. When were you planning on telling me?" The sergeant asked, her eyes portraying slight hurt.

Kat shrugged and looked back out the window.

"You were busy. I was busy, I just never thought to bring it up."

Olivia scoffed at how her daughter dismissed the subject and turned back around in her seat, she whipped her head around to Brian when she felt his hand on her arm. He looked to her sympathetically, but shook his head to tell her not to push.

"What about majors, Kat?" Brian asked, keeping his hand on Olivia's arm.

"I was thinking majoring in forensic psychology and minor in criminal justice. I'm applying to the academy after I get my degree."

Brian didn't verbalize his response, he just nodded.

After a twenty minute ride in complete silence, Brian pulled the car up in front of a small Italian restaurant. He gave Olivia a look and they both looked into the back seat as Kat realized where they were, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree. She looked to the people in the front seats, the first genuine smile of the night on her face.

"Are we eating here?" Kat asked, the excitement in her voice was enough to bring tears to Olivia's eyes.

"Yeah. Your mom told me how much you like jazz-"

Kat shot out of the car, causing Olivia and Brian to laugh.

"This isn't just jazz... The band that plays here is one of the best in the city!" Kat exclaimed as she stared at the restaurant in shock.

Cassidy opened the door and let Olivia and Kat through. The second they walked into the restaurant, music filled their ears and Kat's smile grew wider; if possible.

When they sat down, the waitress approached the table and took their drink orders. As she was leaving, she gave Brian a very obvious wink. Olivia raised her eyebrows and Kat's smile faltered, the teen glared at the waitress as she walked away. When she looked to Brian, he wore a cocky smirk on his face.

_'Strike one.' _Kat thought.

As the three were sitting and talking, Kat got another phone call. She reacted the same way she did to the first one and rejected it. Brian didn't notice, but Olivia did. Kat could feel her mother's deep brown eyes on her, so she looked up from her hands.

"It's nothing." Kat insisted.

Brian snapped back to reality and looked between the two Bensons, completely confused.

"Are you telling me the truth?" Olivia asked, her voice authoritative.

Kat hesitated for a moment, but answered.

"Yes."

Olivia shook her head, but Brian jumped in.

"Liv, just let her deal with it." He said, barely paying attention.

Liv snapped her attention to Cassidy.

"Excuse me?"

Before Brian could defend himself, Kat's phone rang again. This time, she answered.

"Yeah." Kat barked into the phone as an answer.

Kat listened for a second before getting up from the table and going outside. Olivia watched Kat talk, or rather yell, on the phone through the window. Kat was standing outside, yelling into the phone, only pausing to listen and she seemed to be getting more and more angry with every word the person said.

"Liv..." Brian said through a sigh.

Olivia turned to him, shooting him a stone-cold glare.

"Let her deal with it!" Cassidy repeated, almost angrily.

"What the hell is your problem, Bri?" Olivia asked, her tone matching his.

Brian held up his hands in surrender.

"She obviously doesn't want to tell you or worry you or whatever. Just let it go."

Olivia shook her head, completely pissed off at Cassidy. After about ten more minutes, Kat came in and sat back down at the table. The youngest Benson was obviously beyond angry, Brian shot Olivia a look that told her not to pry, but the detective couldn't resist.

"What was that all about?" Olivia asked, trying to seem casual.

Kat chuckled darkly and ran a hand through her hair.

"Nothing, just idiots doing what they do best."

Olivia gave her a sympathetic look and Brian laughed, earning a glare from Kat.

'_Don't do it, Kat.'_ She thought to herself, but before she could control it; the words were already out of her mouth.

"Something funny, Cassidy?" Kat asked, one eyebrow raised and her tone cold.

Brian matched her glare, when he spoke, Kat could smell the alcohol on his breath. She mentally counted how many beers he had had; three and they hadn't even ordered their food yet.

"I'm just starting to realize that you haven't changed." He answered.

Both Olivia and Kat looked at him, shock, anger, and confusion plastered on their faces.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Olivia was the one to ask.

Brian turned to her and chuckled.

"Nothing. It means nothing, Olivia, because if I tell you what it means, you'll just read too much into it and freak out."

Before Olivia could respond, Kat spoke.

"Cassidy, how many drinks did you have before you picked us up?" She asked, staring at him intently.

Brian's eyes narrowed and he leaned in closer to the teen.

"That's none of your damn business." He spat.

Kat scoffed and got up from the table, grabbing her coat. Kat put on her coat and looked to Olivia.

"Do me a favor. Take a cab home." Then the youngest Benson turned to Brian, her eyes cold and angry.

"You're a drunk and you don't deserve my mother."

With that, Kat turned around and left the restaurant. Brian scoffed obnoxiously and turned to Olivia, who was just staring at him in complete disgust. The detective grabbed her coat and got up from the table, Brian got up to stop her and as he was about to speak, she stopped him.

"Call me when you are sober and _maybe_ I will consider not dumping your ass." Olivia had tears in her eyes as she spoke, but she blinked them away.

Olivia stormed out of the restaurant in the hopes of catching up to Kat, but when she made it outside, she was met by the bitter cold and the absence of her daughter.

**/**

**Okay, so Brian is an ass in this story! Will he be back? I don't know. Let me know if you think he should come back or not! I hope you liked it, please review! Thanks you guys!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37! I know some of you are disappointed with me about how I had Cassidy act in the last chapter. I'm sorry that you guys don't agree with it, but I made it like that for a reason. I know that it wasn't very realistic and Cassidy normally wouldn't have acted like that, but that's what I was going for. Okay, anyways, here's chapter 37... Enjoy!**

**/**

**"**Ugh! I mean seriously! He was such an ass!" Kat exclaimed to Alex as she took another scoop of peanut butter from the jar.

The two women were sitting on the attorney's couch, legs crossed, facing each other, a jar of peanut butter between them and a spoon in both of their hands; a position that they had found themselves in a hundred times before. Kat and Alex shared an odd obsession with peanut butter.

As Kat licked the peanut butter off of her spoon, Alex spoke.

"So he was already drunk when he got there?" Alex asked, her voice full of disbelief.

Kat shook her head.

"No, he was actually a decent person and the night was going fairly well, but then when we got to the restaurant, he downed three beers before we even ordered our food and he was starting to say some stuff that he wouldn't say sober."

"Like what?" The attorney asked, eyebrows raised.

"Well for starters, the waitress winked at him right in front of mom and he didn't do anything, he just smirked like he was the king of the world, then I had to take a phone call and when I came back, I could tell that they fought or something at the table and when Mom started being...well...Mom... he kept telling her to drop it like he knew everything about parenting."

Kat took another spoonful of peanut butter, realizing that it was the last in the jar. The teen looked at the jar longingly and then to the ADA who had the same look on her face.

"Still in the cabinet above the sink?" Kat asked with a smirk.

Alex just laughed and nodded as Kat jumped over the back of the couch and into the kitchen. The attorney watched as Kat eagerly pulled another jar of peanut butter from the cabinet and opened it.

"Got any soda, counselor?" Kat asked, her head now in the fridge.

"It's right in front of your face, smart one." Alex answered, unable to hide her smile.

"Objection, argumentative!" Came Kat's voice, completely serious.

Alex scoffed.

"How in the hell is that argumentative?!" The blond yelled back.

"You don't know where my face was." Kat said with a cocky smirk as she jumped over the back of the couch and crossed her legs again, handing Alex the peanut butter and opening her soda.

Alex just laughed.

"Oh! And then, when I told Mom what the call was, or well, avoided telling her, Cassidy just scoffed. I asked him what was so funny and then he was like _'I'm just starting to see that you haven't changed'_ What the hell does that mean?!"

Alex just furrowed her brow and shrugged.

"Where was Liv in all of this?" The attorney asked.

"I didn't really give her a chance to defend me at all, once I realized that Cassidy was drunk, I asked Mom to take a cab home and I left. For all I know, she could be back at the apartment with him right now." Kat finished her sentence with a sigh.

"You and I both know that if he disrespected you at all, she dumped his sorry ass and left." Alex said with a small smile as she waved her spoon at the teen.

"I don't know. I was kinda being a bitch to her..."

"How?"

Kat sighed and took a long drink of her soda before answering.

"Columbia wants to give me a full academic scholarship-"

"Kat that's great!" Alex interrupted, a proud smile on her face.

"I didn't tell mom about it until tonight..." Kat grimaced as the blonde's smile faltered a little.

"Why?"

Kat shrugged as a response.

"Okay, I hardly see how that makes you a bitch." Alex said, moving so her blue eyes met Kat's brown.

"When she found out that I kept it from her, she was hurt and I just brushed it off. Then I started getting these calls and she kept asking me what they were about and I wouldn't tell her. I pretty much just shrugged her off the entire night."

Alex sighed and ran her hand through her messy blond hair.

"I'm sure that wasn't enough to make her let what Brian did slide. She knows that you have been pretty stressed out lately."

Kat let out a small laugh and shook her head.

"I'm not stressed out." She protested.

"Mhmmmmm... whatever you say." Alex mocked as she placed the lid back on the jar of peanut butter.

The two sat in a comfortable silence for a minute.

"Aunt Alex?" Kat asked, looking up from her hands. Her voice was full of uncertainty.

"Hmmm?" Alex hummed in response, giving Kat a small smile.

"What would you do if someone that hated you needed your help?"

Alex was slightly shocked at the question.

"Well, do I hate them back?"

Kat shook her head and looked back down at her hands.

" I would help them even if they pushed me away...Kat... Mackenzie doesn't hate you." Alex assured her, reaching out and grabbing one of the girl's hands.

"Then why did she tell me she did?"

Alex thought for a minute, but then found the words to answer.

"Because she was hurt and she knows that the only way you would leave someone that you cared about is if they ask you to leave them alone."

Kat didn't respond and they were interrupted by a frantic knocking at the door.

Alex jumped up from the couch and quickly moved to the door. When she opened it, Olivia stood there, a worried look on her face.

"Is Kat here?" The detective asked frantically.

"Mom, I'm fine. Stop freaking out." Kat said, a little annoyed as she walked to the door.

"Baby, you need to come with me." Olivia said, the urgency in her voice scared both Kat and Alex.

"What is it?" Kat asked as she grabbed her coat and slipped on her shoes.

Tears immediately filled Olivia's eyes as she spoke.

"Amanda called. Honey, Mackenzie was in a car accident, it doesn't look good."

Kat froze.

That's what the calls were about. They were calls from Mackenzie's skate park buddies, Kat figured that they were drunk by the way their voices sounded. She yelled at them to stay put until they were sober, but she knew that it was no use. In all of her anger, she just hung up. Now her best friend could be dying.

Kat collected her thoughts and ran out the door as fast as she could, followed by Olivia. Since Kat was the first to the car, Olivia tossed her the keys. The speed limit didn't apply to Kat at that moment; Mackenzie needed her, and she was going to be there.

**/**

When Kat and Olivia got to the hospital, Kat barely had the car parked before she jumped out and sprinted into the hospital. She instantly spotted Cragen and Amanda pacing in the waiting room. Amanda was crying silently and Cragen was following close behind in case she broke down.

The Georgian detective looked up from the ground at the sound of footsteps.

"Where is she?" Kat asked frantically.

Amanda pulled the girl into a hug as Olivia came running in behind her.

"She's in surgery. They don't know if she'll make it. The driver of the car she was in was drunk." Amanda answered sadly as she released the teen from her arms.

Kat felt a sudden surge of anger flood through her and before she knew it, her fists were coming in contact with the wall. She kept punching until blood stained where her fists were coming in contact with the yellow-painted walls.

All of the adults watched in shock as Kat slid down the wall to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest and covering her head with her now bloody hands.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Kat sobbed, knowing that the person who she was really apologizing to wasn't there to hear it.

Mackenzie Rollins was on an operating table, fighting for her life and all Kat could think about was that the last words she said to her best friend was "I hate you too".

**/**

**Oh...Snap! Okay, I hope you guys liked it! Please review!**


	38. Chapter 38

**Okay, so chapter 38! Here we go! Enjoy!**

**/**

(flashback)

_Kat sat in her mother's desk chair, spinning slowly, reading a book, and chewing on a Red Vine. She could sense the pair of eyes on her, and it was honestly getting a little annoying. Putting her book down, Avery looked to the twelve year old sitting in the newest detective's desk... Elliot's old desk. Her blond hair falling loosely around her shoulders, her bright blue eyes partially covered by a few loose strands that fell in her face. She was sitting on her hands, trying hard not to touch everything in sight._

_"Can I help you?" Kat asked, leaning forward so her elbows rested on Olivia's desk._

_"You're Detective Benson's daughter, right?" The girl asked, her accent thick._

_"Yeah, and you are...?" Kat answered._

_"I'm Detective Rollins's daughter, Mackenzie." She answered proudly._

_"Oh, yeah...you two moved up here from Dallas, right?" _

_Mackenzie laughed and shook her head._

_"Atlanta." She corrected._

_"Oh, my mom said Dallas." Kat said as she shrugged and picked up her book again._

_"Whatcha Readin'?" Mackenzie asked, moving a little bit closer._

_"Uh, it's about the history of the Supreme Court." Kat was barely paying attention._

_Mackenzie couldn't help but laugh a little, earning a cold glance from Kat._

_"You gonna be a lawyer or somethin'?"_

_Kat sighed and shook her head._

_"No, I'm going to be a cop, but I still find this interesting."_

_"How old are you?"_

_"Fourteen."_

_"Hobbies?"_

_"Reading, boxing, running, archery."_

_"Those are all things that only require one person." Mackenzie said with a dopey smile._

_"Exactly." Kat deadpanned._

_"You don't like me, do you..." Mackenzie asked, disappointment prominent in her voice._

_"I don't know you, therefore I cannot like you or not like you." _

_Mackenzie heaved a sigh and started fiddling with her bracelet._

_"But you don't want to get to know me."_

_Kat shut her book and ran a hand through her hair, staring intently at the younger girl._

_"Look, Mack. People aren't really my thing. It's nothing personal."_

_Mackenzie perked up and smiled brightly at the brunette._

_"What?" Kat asked, confused._

_"You called me Mack."_

_"And?"_

_"That's a nickname, only friends use nicknames."_

_Just as Kat was about to answer, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up she saw Olivia smiling brightly at her._

_"Ready to go?" Olivia asked._

_Kat nodded and grabbed her book and her coat. Just as they started to leave, Mack yelled to them._

_"Wait, you never told me your name!"_

_"It's Katherine. I gotta go, talk to you later, Georgia!" Kat threw over her shoulder._

_"Ha! Another nickname!" Mackenzie yelled back just as the elevator doors shut._

_Olivia turned to Kat, staring at her quizzically._

_"I thought they were from Dallas." The detective stated, earning a laugh from her daughter._

_"She seemed nice though... Maybe you two will end up being good friends." Olivia predicted, nudging Kat gently with her elbow._

_"I doubt it." Kat scoffed, turning a page in her book._

_"You just wait." Olivia said quietly so Kat wouldn't hear._

**/**

Kat still sat against the wall, her sobbing had turned into silent, steadily-flowing tears. She felt a presence in front of her and she looked up. Alex was kneeling down in front of her, a sad smile on her face.

"Your mom sent me over here to check on you." The attorney stated.

"I'm fine." Kat answered.

"You should probably get that looked at." Alex said, pointing to Kat's now bruised and swollen hand.

"I'll make sure I'm okay when I know that she is okay." Kat's voice was quiet as she rested her head back against the wall.

The sound of handcuffs closing caught everyone's attention; in the waiting room stood a uniformed officer arresting Colby, one of Mackenzie's friends... the only friend with a driver's license. Fury flooded through Kat and she pushed herself off the ground, running towards the now handcuffed teen.

"Kat don't!" Alex yelled, reaching for the teen.

Kat ignored Alex's demand and grabbed Colby, ripping him from the officer's grasp and pinning him against the wall.

"You son of a bitch! I told you to stay put! You were drunk and you let her get in the car with you!" Kat yelled, staring Colby's wide and fear-filled eyes.

A pair of strong hands pulled Kat off of the boy, but she elbowed the person in the ribs. The hands let go in and in a flash, she was back on Colby. This time Alex, Olivia, and Amanda pulled Kat off of him, holding her back as she fought against them. As the officer started to pull him away, Kat yelled after them.

"If she dies I'll kill you! I'll kill you so slowly you'll wish it was you in Mackenzie's place! I'll send you straight to hell you son of a bitch!"

Colby stared at her as he was pulled out of the building by the officer. Kat expected the arms around her to let go, but they didn't. A few nurses and a doctor moved towards them, the doctor had a syringe in his hand. At the sight of the needle, Kat started to struggle again.

"Let go of me! I'm fine, I don't need to be sedated! Let go of me!" Kat yelled frantically as the doctor inserted the needle and injected the sedative.

"I'm sorry, Kat." Olivia whispered as the teen's body went slack and her eyes fluttered shut.

**/**

Kat woke slowly in a hospital bed.

_'Hospital... Mackenzie...surgery...car crash..."_ Kat thought to herself as everything came flooding back.

The room was empty and the door was closed. Shaking away the residual grogginess from the sedative, Kat pushed herself off of the bed and found her way to the waiting room, finding it empty. Panic coursed through the teen when she realized that the only reason everyone would leave is if Mack didn't survive.

'_But Mom and Alex wouldn't leave me here."_ Kat thought.

Slowly, Kat turned around and started back down the hallway, her pace increasing until she was at a sprint. After running for what seemed like forever, Kat passed a room, a flash of blond hair catching her attention. Skidding to a halt, Kat looked in the window and saw Olivia, Amanda, and Alex all gathered around Mackenzie who lay motionless on the bed.

Without thinking, Kat whipped the door open and ran into the room. All three women turned around and saw Kat standing behind them, her hair in disarray and her breathing quick and labored. Kat ignored their shocked stares and looked to Mackenzie. The girl's face was littered with bruises and cuts, she had a tube down her throat to help her breathe, the machines all around her were beeping steadily.

Kat shook her head slowly and started to back out of the room.

"Kat, she's going to be okay." Amanda told her, giving the teen a small smile.

"Sh-she won't want me here when she wakes up. I-uh... I'm gonna head home." Kat stammered, reaching up to run her hand through her hair, only to find it covered in a bulky cast.

"You broke your hand." Olivia clarified, starting to stand up to leave.

"No! No, mom. You stay, she needs you." Kat insisted, ushering Olivia back to her seat.

"She needs you, too, Kat." Amanda insisted.

Kat let out a shaky laugh and shook her head again.

"We all know that she hates me, me being here when she wakes up will only upset her and that's the last thing I want." Kat swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, but couldn't hide the tears that formed in her eyes.

"Kat..." Alex started, only to be cut off.

"I'm okay. As long as she is okay, I'm okay." The tears flowed freely now and Kat had to stifle a sob.

"I need to go. I'll bring you three coffee in the morning." Kat started backing out of the room again, faster this time.

She whipped around and took off as fast as she could down the hall, leaving three confused, worried, and heartbroken adults and the one person who needed her most behind.

**/**

**Whale, I hope y'all liked it! Tell me what you think! Thanks guys! You all rock!**


	39. Chapter 39

**Oh God, I'm a terrible person. I am so, so sorry for the wait. I make no excuses, I'm just getting really, really lazy. Please keep reading! Feel free to express your anger in reviews, I deserve it. Okay, so after a ridiculously long wait, I give you chapter 39! Please enjoy.**

**/**

Kat was laying on her bed, her bulky cast laying on her stomach and her good hand behind her head. Tears were flowing uncontrollably from her eyes, but she still felt numb. Kat's phone had been ringing on and off for a good hour, but she still wasn't answering.

After a few more calls, Kat finally got annoyed enough and answered her phone, not even looking at the caller I.D.

"What?" She croaked.

_"Kat, come back to the hospital."_ Olivia's voice came through the phone.

"No." Kat answered quickly.

_"Why not? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't have Nick come pick you up and drag you back here."_

"I'm not doing this right now." Kat's voice was flat and emotionless.

_"One good reason."_ The detective repeated.

"Because seeing Mack like that causes me more pain than every single shitty little thing I've been through combined and I'm a selfish bitch. All I want to do is lay here and wallow in my own self pity for a while. Now leave me alone." Kat snapped, hanging up the phone.

Sighing, Kat put her phone back on her nightstand and closed her eyes. Sleep didn't come, no matter how much she wanted it to. Going to the kitchen, Kat saw her car keys laying on the counter.

"You could leave, pack up and go. They'd get over it." She whispered to herself, picking up the keys.

**/**

Olivia sat in the hospital cafeteria, clutching a cup of coffee. The detective sensed someone sit down across from her and looked up to see John Munch looking back at her.

"Not now, Munch." Olivia said quietly.

"Liv, you need to talk to someone." John told her, leaning in closer.

Olivia took a sip of her coffee and nodded.

"You're right, I do. I need to talk to my daughter, but she basically just told me to fuck off."

John laughed quietly, regretting it the moment he got an ice cold glare from the woman across from him.

"I'm glad that my personal turmoil is funny. That makes everything better." She snapped.

"Olivia..." John breathed, trying to think of the right words to say.

"The instant I saw Katherine, I knew that she was going to be exactly like you-"

"Yeah, John. I know. She's just like me, I've heard this before." Olivia said, cutting him off.

"Damn it, Benson. Would you just let me talk?" John snapped back.

Olivia sighed and nodded, taking another sip of her coffee.

"The instant I saw Katherine, I knew she was going to be exactly like you; strong, smart, compassionate, brave, and more stubborn than anyone I have ever met...but there is one thing that comes with all of that. You two both become so emotionally attached and so protective that when one thing goes wrong, you blame yourselves and you crumble. I've seen it happen to you and now we're all watching it happen to Kat. Over the years, you've learned to keep perspective and realize that not everything that happens to the people you love is your fault, but Katherine hasn't."

Olivia stared at John in shock, willing her jaw not to drop to the floor.

"She's falling from high up and she's falling fast, Liv. I hate to say it, but we are all afraid that Kat might not bounce back this time." John added, reaching out and covering Olivia's hand with his.

"I don't know what to do, John." Olivia breathed.

"Go home, talk some sense into your daughter. Let her know that she doesn't have to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. "

"She won't listen to me. She thinks that she can deal with this on her own."

"Take Cabot, Katherine goes to her when she can't talk to you. If both of you sit her down, then she'll listen."

Olivia nodded and got up from the table, downing her coffee and throwing away the cup.

"Thank you, John." Olivia said gratefully, giving his shoulder a squeeze.

"No problem." The older man answered with a smile.

**/**

Olivia and Alex entered the Benson apartment to find it seemingly empty.

"Kat?" Olivia called, placing her keys on the counter.

There was shuffling in Kat's room and she came out seconds later, her face emotionless.

"I'm not going back to the hospital." She said, going over to the couch and laying down.

Olivia and Alex sighed almost simultaneously and moved to the couch. Olivia sat down and lifted Kat's head onto her lap while Alex did the same thing, only with Kat's feet. A position that they found themselves in often.

"I'm not talking about it." The teen said firmly as Olivia began running her fingers mindlessly through her long, brown hair.

"Then listen, kiddo." Alex ordered.

Kat sighed and closed her eyes.

"Kay, I'm listening." She mumbled.

"We need to address this guilt that you have been carrying around." Olivia began. "It's not healthy and we can all see you falling apart at the seams with every passing minute. Something is going on and you can't deal with it on your own. You've got enough stress going on with school and you don't need all of the stress that everything else has added."

"There is a reason why you have a family. It's so you can talk to them whenever you need to. You happen to have a lot of people who would do anything for you, yet you refuse to let them in." Alex added, lightly tracing shapes on Kat's shin with her index finger.

Kat sighed again and opened her eyes slowly.

"I was packing." Kat admitted, shame in her voice.

"What?" Olivia asked, completely confused.

Without a word, Alex got up from the couch and went to Kat's room, coming out with a duffle bag full of clothes, a picture of the three of them sitting on top.

"You were going to leave." The attorney deduced.

Kat nodded and Olivia shot up from the couch, trying to control her anger.

"You were what?!" The detective yelled a little too harshly.

"Liv..." Alex whispered, trying to calm her friend down.

Olivia ignored the blond and continued to stare daggers at her daughter, who was sitting on the couch, eyes on the floor.

"I was going to leave before you got home." Kat whispered just loud enough for the two women to hear her.

Olivia scoffed in frustration and ran a hand over her face.

"I can't believe this. I can't believe that you would just take off. Were you even going to leave a note? Or were you just going to disappear and leave me to think that you were kidnapped or something?"

"I was going to leave a note." Kat told her, her voice growing in volume and defensiveness.

"What was it going to say? 'Yeah, sorry Mom. I just thought I'd take a little road trip. I might come back, I might not. Don't worry, though I'm fine.'" Olivia yelled, regretting her words the second she saw the look of hurt flash across Kat's face.

Kat got up from the couch, tears in her eyes.

"No, It would have said how sorry I am and that I just can't do this anymore! One minute, I'm fine and then the next, I don't even know why I even bother! All the people I care about are getting hurt and it's only a matter of time before something happens to one of you!" Kat yelled, gesturing to Olivia and Alex.

"Do you know what it did to me when I thought you died, Alex?! I was devastated and that was when I was seven. If I lost you now, I wouldn't be able to handle it. And mom, I think you and I both know that if anything happened to you, it would kill me. So don't you dare play off me leaving as some selfish personal endeavor! I was leaving because I want to leave before anything else happens, so excuse me for trying to keep you safe!"

Kat's tears were flowing freely now, her voice cracking with tears.

"Kat..." Olivia whispered, reaching out for her daughter.

Kat shoved Olivia's hands away and shook her head.

"No, you don't get to do that. You don't get to say all of those things and then just hug me and assume that everything is okay."

"Kat, please." The detective pleaded.

"Casey is back in the city. I'm going to stay with her. I need some time." Kat said quietly as she grabbed her bag from Alex's hands.

"How much time?" Olivia asked frantically.

"I don't know. I just need time. I'll be okay." Kat assured her as she grabbed her car keys.

Kat walked to the door and turned around, her heart breaking at the looks of complete defeat and hopelessness on both Alex and Olivia's faces.

"I love you both, promise me you'll remember that."

With that, Kat left, not giving either women any time to react.

**/**

**Well, I hope y'all liked it! Please review! I own nothing, all characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC!**


	40. Chapter 40

**So here's chapter 40! Enjoy!**

**I own nothing! All characters belong to Dick Wolf and NBC!**

**/**

Kat sat on Casey's couch, her knees pulled up to her chest and her eyes closed, willing the tears to stop.

"Are you sure that you had to do this, Kat?" Casey asked, her usually low and raspy voice now soft and comforting.

Kat opened her eyes and nodded lightly.

"Yeah. I think we just need some time apart." Kat said quietly.

Sighing sadly, Casey stood up and placed a kiss on Kat's temple, earning a sad smile from the teen.

"Try and get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning." The attorney whispered.

Kat got up off of the couch and moved to the guest room.

"Hey, Case?" She called.

Casey turned around, a warm smile on her face.

"Yeah, hon?" She asked.

"Thank you."

Casey gave the teen a warm smile and nodded.

"Any time."

With a smile and a nod, Kat went into the guest room, shutting the door behind her.

Kat looked around the room, her eyes landing on the queen sized bed. Slowly, she walked across the room and collapsed onto the mattress, not even bothering to change out of her clothes. Letting her tears spill over, Kat cried herself into exhaustion and fell into a restless sleep.

**/**

Olivia laid in bed, her hands folded over her stomach, sleep not coming the way she needed it to. Kat needed time; time away from her. Alex knocked on Olivia's bedroom door, a cup of tea in hand. Olivia sat up and took the tea from Alex as the blond perched herself on the edge of her bed.

"I really messed up, Al." Olivia whispered, looking down at the mug in her hands.

"Liv, Kat just needs a break. She'll be back in a few days." Alex assured her.

"You don't know that. What is she decides not to come back?"

Alex sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"That's not going to happen. Kat needs you, she told you herself. She's just really struggling right now and I don't think she wants you to see that."

Olivia sighed and shook her head.

"I just wish I knew how to help her."

Alex moved closer to Olivia, her steely blue eyes meeting the detective's chocolate brown.

"Sometimes help has to come from yourself other than someone else. Kat will get everything figured out and if she needs you, she'll come to you."

"I hope to hell that you're right." Olivia said, taking a small sip of her tea.

Alex chuckled lightly and got up from the edge of the bed.

"Well, I'm going to leave so you can get some sleep."

"Thank you, Alex." Olivia said gratefully.

Alex smiled warmly and moved to the door.

"Don't mention it." The attorney said as she left the apartment.

Olivia placed her tea on the nightstand and laid back down, allowing herself to fall into a light sleep, knowing that it wouldn't help how she felt in the slightest.

**/**

Three days had passed since Kat left. In those three days, she had received 15 calls, 45 text messages, and three emails from Olivia...all of which had gone unanswered. Not to mention the 5 calls and 28 text messages from Alex. Kat's heart broke every time she saw Olivia's name pop up on her phone screen, and out of pure shame, she couldn't bring herself to answer.

Kat was driving to Columbia University campus for her interview with the Dean of Admissions when her phone buzzed in the passenger seat. The teen waited until she pulled into the parking lot to check her phone.

Make that 46 text messages.

Exhaling slowly and blinking the tears away from her eyes, Kat opened the text messages, unable to stop a smile from creeping over her face.

_'You'll be great, sweetheart. Just be you and they will be on their knees, begging you to take the scholarship. Don't think about anything else, just your interview. I love you. Always. You can come home any time, I will always be here. Knock 'em dead.'_

With a new burst of confidence, Kat jumped out of her car and strode into the admissions building.

**/**

Four hours later, Kat emerged from the building with a smile on her face and a stack of paperwork in her hands...paperwork that Olivia had to sign. Looking at her phone, Kat saw that it was nearly five o'clock; Liv would still be at work.

Jogging to her car, Kat threw the paperwork on the passenger seat and drove to the precinct.

Pulling into a parking spot directly in front of the precinct, Kat took a deep breath and pulled the keys out of the ignition. Slowly, Kat got out of her car and walked to the precinct, hugging her body tightly against the harsh winter.

The second she set foot into the squad room, everybody stopped what they were doing and looked to her. Fin nearly dropped the file he was holding, and Nick got up from his desk, arms crossed over his chest. Kat could see Olivia through the window in her office, face buried in a file, completely oblivious to the outside world.

Kat's line of sight was blocked by Nick, his jaw was clenched and his eyes were narrowed.

"Where have you been?" He asked, his voice low and harsh.

Kat glared back and pushed her way past him to Olivia's office. Cautiously, Kat opened the door. Olivia heard the door open, but she didn't look up from her file.

"What can I do for you?" The sergeant asked, not realizing who was at the door.

"You can get over here and hug me as a start." Kat joked, a hesitant smile playing at her lips.

Olivia's eyes shot up and she jumped up from her desk, rushing over to Kat and pulling her into the tightest hug known to man.

"Hi." Kat whispered, returning the hug.

"Hi." Olivia replied, tears in her voice.

"Please don't cry." Kat begged, still not pulling away from the hug.

Olivia reluctantly pulled away and peppered Kat's face with kisses like she used to when Kat was little. Kat laughed lightly and when Olivia stopped, she wiped the detective's tears away.

"Can I come home?" The teen asked hopefully.

Olivia pulled her daughter into another hug.

"Of course you can, baby." The detective whispered.

"I got the scholarship." Kat told her mother, unable to hide the pride in her voice.

"I knew you would."

Olivia pulled away from the hug and moved to her desk, closing all of her files and shutting down her computer. She grabbed her keys, phone, and purse. Kat looked to her mother, eyebrows raised.

"I am taking you home and we are going to sit down and talk. I mean really talk. This can't happen again."

Kat opened her mouth to say something, but Olivia stopped her.

"I'm not mad, I'm worried. I called George and you have an appointment with him this Saturday. You will be there if I have to handcuff you and drag you into his office." Olivia's voice was stern and Kat knew that there was no negotiating with the older brunette.

Kat nodded and sighed, secretly glad that she still had her mother to boss her around. With a finalizing nod, Olivia moved back around her desk and threw her arm around Kat's shoulders, walking out her office.

The two Bensons were met by the expectant gazes of Fin and Nick. Fin smiled when he realized that the two had made up, but Nick just scoffed.

"Is there a problem, Amaro?" Kat spat, moving out from Olivia's embrace and approaching the detective.

Nick threw a folder and his pen on his desk out of frustration and turned to the teen. His nostrils were flaring with anger and his hands were clenched into fists at his side.

"You have some explaining to do." He told her.

"Not to you I don't." Kat scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Nick took a deep breath in an effort to calm his anger as Kat and Olivia pushed past him.

The male detective watched as the two brunettes left and shook his head as the elevator doors closed. Fin approached Nick's desk, a confused look on his face.

"Dude, what's your problem?" Fin asked.

"Nothing." Nick practically growled as he grabbed his gun and coat, heading for the firing range.

**/**

**Well, I hope Y'all like it! Please review! We will learn more about Nick's attitude and Mackenzie's condition in the next chapter.**


	41. Chapter 41

**I know it's been over two weeks, but I had a family emergency, so please cut me some slack. I will update as often as possible, as many chapters a day as possible to make up for it. **

**Okay, thanks. Really sorry for the wait! Please enjoy!**

**I own nothing! All characters belong to Dick Wolf.**

**/**

"So how have you been feeling lately?" Dr. Huang asked, perching himself on the edge of his desk.

"Honestly, not the best." Kat answered from her position on the leather couch.

"I'm here because I need help dealing with everything. I thought I could do it on my own, but I was wrong." The teen added, tears forming in her eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with getting help." George told her with a sure tone.

Kat nodded and ran her good hand through her hair, since her left hand was still in a bulky cast.

"So I understand that you've had a hard time getting over some guilt." The psychiatrist prompted.

"If I hadn't have told my mom about Jason, none of this would have happened. It's my fault, of course I feel guilty."

"If you hadn't have told Olivia, there's a good chance that you would be dead by now." George's voice was soft and comforting.

Kat scoffed and looked down at the floor.

"Would that be such a bad thing?" She asked him quietly.

George got up from his place on his desk and moved so he sat directly across from Kat, their eyes meeting. The psychiatrist mustered every ounce of kindness and love that he had for the girl in front of him and put it all into his next question.

"Katherine...have you ever considered suicide?"

"Absolutely not. I wouldn't put my family through that." She answered surely.

A relieved smile ghosted across George's lips, which Kat returned sheepishly.

"Have you ever hurt yourself before?" The man asked.

Kat shook her head.

"I wouldn't do that to them either."

"Why is your family always before you?"

Kat shrugged and started examining the cast on her hand.

"It's just easier to help other people than to help myself, I guess." Kat's voice had diminished to just above a whisper.

"Can you describe how you feel in one word...other than guilty?"

Kat thought for a moment, biting her bottom lip.

"Empty." She answered.

"What do you mean?" George asked with a furrowed brow.

Kat sighed and rubbed her hand over her face.

"I can still feel emotions, but they aren't any good ones. I feel guilt, shame, sadness, and fear. I can't remember the last time that I was truly happy. Whenever something good happens, I smile and I know that I should feel happy...but I don't. Whenever something bad happens, my emotions hit me like a brick wall and I break down."

The flood gates had opened and Kat now had tears streaming down her face.

"Kat... I have an idea, but you aren't going to like it." George stated, his voice showing his skepticism.

"As long as it helps, I'll do it." Kat said with a sad smile.

Dr. Huang pulled out a prescription pad from his desk and wrote something down before tearing the sheet away and handing it to Kat. The teen looked at the paper and nodded, her face etched with defeat.

"This is an antidepressant." She thought aloud.

"This will just be a trial run. I want you to take that in the morning every day for two weeks and two weeks from now, I want you back here so we can see if you feel any better. I also want you to call me if anything happens and you feel like you're going to break down." George told her as they walked out of his office.

"Will do." Kat said with a nod.

Olivia looked up from her phone where she waited outside of Huang's office, a smile on her face. Kat handed her the prescription order and the detective looked at it, a confused look on her face. Once she realized what it was, she looked back up to Kat, who had a look of shame on her face.

"There is nothing wrong with this. Like I said, it's just a trial run." George assured the teen, earning a small nod.

"Alright, see you in two weeks." The psychiatrist said with a small smile.

Olivia nodded to the doctor and looked to Kat, who had already started walking.

"They accept clinically depressed people into the academy, Kat." Olivia told her daughter, knowing that that was what she was worried about.

"But they watch them like hawks." Kat countered, her eyes on the ground.

"Until they pass the psych evaluation." Olivia admitted in a sigh.

Kat scoffed inwardly and looked up to her mother, unshed tears in her eyes.

"What if I don't pass?" She asked almost in a whisper.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it...but now, we're going to the hospital. Somebody woke up and is asking to see you."

**/**

"Are you sure that she wants to see me?" Kat asked in a whisper as she stood in front of the closed door to Mackenzie's hospital room.

"She said...and I quote "Get her stubborn ass in here before I beat you so hard that you can't remember your badge number."" Fin said in a laugh.

Kat smiled and let out a small chuckle before taking a deep breath.

"Well here goes nothing." She sighed.

Hesitantly, Kat opened the door, having to bite back tears when she saw Mackenzie propped up in bed, her leg elevated with a brace around her knee and bruises scattered over her body. The blond turned her head from the TV to the door and smiled sadly, tears forming in her eyes.

"Damn you, Georgia." Kat sobbed, moving to the bed and gently pulling Mackenzie into a hug.

"What can I say? I have a flare for the dramatic." Mackenzie said with a teary smile.

Kat laughed unsteadily and sat down in the chair next to Mackenzie's bed as Amanda left the room.

"Kat..." Mackenzie started.

"Shut up." Kat ordered, cutting her off.

"But I'm-"

"I said shut up. No apologies from you. I was an idiot and I'm sorry."

Mackenzie nodded and shrugged.

"No big deal. Sisters fight all the time." She said with a smile.

Kat returned the smile and leaned back in the chair, resting her feet on the edge of Mackenzie's bed.

"So...how long have you been sentenced for?" Kat asked, gesturing to the room.

Mackenzie rolled her eyes a huffed a sigh.

"Four more days. I don't see why they won't send me home. I'm fine."

"Bullshit. I invented the phrase "I'm fine" and you, my friend, are not fine." Kat told her firmly.

"Oh God, don't tell me that you're going to treat me like an invalid." Mack groaned.

"Of course not." Kat answered seriously.

Mackenzie let out a grateful sigh and looked back to the TV.

"That's Mom and Amanda's job." Kat added with a sly grin.

**/**

Three days later, Kat was running through Central Park, heavy metal music blaring in her headphones as she came up on her fifth mile. The medication that Huang had given her made Kat feel better...well, it made getting out of bed every morning easier, but she wasn't noticing anything different in her overall emotional situation.

It was the morning of Paige's trail, and Kat was beyond nervous. Paige's family had agreed to let her testify, but they were taking her back to New Jersey right after the verdict was read, which meant that Kat would probably never see Paige again after today.

Once she got home, Kat put a pot of coffee on and jumped in the shower, preparing for the day.

**/**

**So Paige is in the next one. I know I said I would have Nick in this chapter, but I'm pushing him back to the next chapter. Okay, review and such! Thanks guys!**


End file.
